Islam Makhachev has no interest in fighting Ilia Topuria, who is clearly in it seeking greatness. Topuria already has the featherweight title and now wants to become a two-division world champ by taking Makhachev’s lightweight crown. The Russian is not keen to go down a division to facilitate a fight either, but will entertain it if fans are that eager to see him “beat” El Matador.
“If we look at it from a sports perspective, I’m not interested in Topuria….but if people want to see him lose, then we can make it happen. He fights in a different weight class. What will it give me? I don’t win the belt. Everyone will say, I beat a fighter from a lower weight class again,” said Makhachev.
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Ilia moving up a weight class to fight Makhachev could take some time too. Right now, Topuria has bigger fishes to fry in the featherweight division itself with Alexander Volkanovski already pushing for a title rematch. Then there are Diego Lopees and Movsar Evloev waiting for their turns.
So, unless Dana White gets a pertinent reason, more in tune with the high-quality fight the matchup could offer, Makhachev-Topuria likely won’t happen any time soon.
Intriguingly, Makhachev is also looking to become a two-division champion. If he defeats Arman Tsarukyan upon his return in January 2025, he would have successfully defended his title four times, surpassing his mentor Khabib Nurmagomedov’s record in the division.
And there won’t be much left to prove for him in the lightweight division. Seeking a second belt would make more sense by then, and Topuria would be the perfect target.
But given that it would be a struggle for him to cut weight, Makhachev is likely to move up, seeking bigger (literally) challenges. A plausible destination for him would be the welterweight division.
However, since his AKA comrade Belal Muhammad reigns supreme there, he may not push for a title shot. Then again, that hasn’t stopped him from talking about some of the welterweight challengers he would like to take on.
Makhachev claps back at Covington
Colby ‘Chaos’ Covington has time and again ranted about Makhachev. Covington has not only refused to give due credit to Islam for what he has done inside the octagon, but has also repeatedly insulted him.
“I fight in my natural weight class because I know I’m the best fighter in the world…. Makhachev, who has to cut all that weight to have an advantage over m****ts and beat those guys up… I fight at my natural weight class,” Colby said.
Makhachev has ignored most of these verbal jabs until yesterday, when he decided to laugh it off while saying,
“This is a man who can’t prove anything with his fights so he tries to be well-known with his tongue. He doesn’t talk about fighters who aren’t in the top 15. He talks about fighters who have achieved a lot to get some attention,” said Islam.
This has not been a good week for Covington as far as banter with fellow fighters are concerned. After claiming that he was willing to step in for Belal and fight at UFC 310, Shavkat Rakhmonov called him out for not honoring his words.
Ian ‘Machado’ Gary, on the other hand, also called out Covington, saying that he is willing to fight him on short notice. That too in just a week after main-eventing at UFC 310 against Rakhmonov.
