Ilia Topuria has been calling out UFC lightweight champion Islam Makhachev for a while now in his pursuit of becoming a two-division champion. However, Makhachev’s coach Javier Mendez does not see any benefit in him fighting the featherweight champion.
Although Topuria has taken out two of the biggest names in the division, his work is not done. There are still some top contenders left in the division who can give him a run for his money. So even if he does fight Makhachev, it won’t be anytime soon.
So, with all the rumors of a potential fight against Topuria next, Mendez had to clear up the rumors and set a clear plan for his champ.
In an interview with Karim Moustaine, the AKA Head coach spoke about why it makes no sense for Makhachev to fight the Spaniard at the moment,
“He’s had only one true lightweight title defense and it was against Dustin…So it’s better to fight a legit lightweight like Arman Tsarukyan….it doesn’t benefit us it benefits Topuria.”
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Islam has to fight Tsarukyan next. There are other contenders in the division like Charles Oliveira and Justin Gaeythje waiting in line. And with Max Holloway making the division his permanent home, the competition has only gotten stronger for Makhachev.
So, fighting a featherweight champion in Ilia Topuria would not make any sense. But this hasn’t stopped ‘El Matador‘ from envisioning how the fight will pan out.
Topuria wants to submit Makhachev
Following his UFC 308 performance against Max Holloway, during a post-fight press conference, he revealed what he would do to Makhachev,
“My mindset is always the same. I’m always looking to achieve that no one could. Someone could submit him. I will be the first one to submit him.”
‘El Matador’ is not a big grappler, he is actually known for his exceptional striking skills. His ground game is something fans haven’t really gotten a chance to see.
However, as usual, the Spaniard is so confident in his abilities that he believes he can take the Dagestani fighter down and submit him. It may be easier said than done, given that Islam is considerably bigger than him and a far more accomplished grappler, and if the fight does take place, Topuria will be walking in as the underdog despite holding UFC gold.
