Former champs who vacated titles to move up have major difference of opinion
(This story was updated to add new information.)
MMA fans aren’t getting a superfight they thought was imminent – yet, anyway.
If Ilia Topuria and Islam Makhachev continue their back-and-forth in the wake of Topuria’s move to lightweight to chase Makhachev’s title – and Makhachev’s subsequent move to welterweight to go after the title there, leaving 155 and his title behind – then maybe the door stays open.
Makhachev (27-1 MMA, 16-1 UFC) and his manager, Ali Abdelaziz, said his move to welterweight, which was announced Tuesday for a future title shot against new champion Jack Della Maddalena, was because Makhachev’s friend and sometimes training partner, Belal Muhammad, lost the 170-pound belt at UFC 315. With Della Maddalena as the new champ at welterweight, there’s no issue of Makhachev fighting a friend.
Had Muhammad won, Makhachev’s side claims, he’d have stayed at lightweight – presumably to fight Topuria (16-0 MMA, 8-0 UFC), who earlier this year decided to vacate the featherweight belt for a chance to go after a lightweight title. He’ll get that right away at UFC 316 in late June when he fights former champ Charles Oliveira for the belt Makhachev vacated.
Topuria thinks the words out of the Makhachev camp ring hollow and that he’s essentially running from Topuria. He called him a hypocrite for saying he was hesitant to fight another featherweight moving up to challenge him at lightweight after twice beating Alexander Volkanovski – who re-captured the 145-pound belt that Topuria vacated.
But Makhachev called attention to his resume as lightweight champion for the reason it’s time to move up, and said Topuria can’t make the same claims at featherweight.
Topuria was quick to respond and again said Makhachev is running from a fight with him. A rather adept touch was the addition of “You are a little boy,” but in Russian.
“The difference between you and me is that I am a man and you are a coward. I speak and fight. you talk and hide. Run away far, leaving no trace. Ты маленький пацан,” Topuria posted.
Makhachev beat Oliveira to win the vacant title in October 2022. He beat Volkanovski twice in 2023. He beat Dustin Poirier in 2024, then earlier this year submitted Renato Moicano to set the UFC lightweight consecutive title defense record. He also has pre-title wins over Arman Tsarukyan, the No. 1 contender who had to pull out in January the day before the fight, which gave Moicano his shot, and Dan Hooker.
Topuria won the featherweight title from Volkanovski with a second-round knockout in February 2024. This past October, he beat former champ Max Holloway by knockout to retain the belt.
