“Why does Islam need to give a third chance to the 145-pound champion? Why?” That’s Khabib Nurmagomedov, backing up his protege Islam Makhachev and questioning the legitimacy of Ilia Topuria’s callout for a super fight. And honestly, he’s got a point. But here’s the twist! Joe Rogan and two other UFC veterans think otherwise. They’re all in on the idea of ‘El Matador’ moving up to 155 pounds for a crack at the Dagestani juggernaut. So, is this the fight to make, or is Topuria getting ahead of himself?

On the Pound 4 Pound podcast, former double champ Henry Cejudo made it clear, “I like what Joe Rogan’s saying… Ilia deserves that.” And he would know a thing or two about moving up divisions, he did it himself, taking out legends like Demetrious Johnson and T.J. Dillashaw along the way.

But here’s the catch, Islam doesn’t seem as eager. And this lack of enthusiasm was evident in Triple C’s voice when he quipped, “But it takes two to tangle and these Dagestanis, bro, they say ‘anytime, anywhere,’ (but) it’s like Islam wants to make sure Ilia deserves it. He wants him to go through more contenders.”

Former 170lbs king Kamaru Usman was just as fired up. “When Ilia Topuria said ‘I’m coming in and I’m going to stop you Volkanovski, what did we say?” Everyone doubted him. Then he did it. He said the same about Max Holloway. “He went out there and stopped him,” Usman reminded fans. “So, if he wants to move up, I support it 100%.”

Then there’s Joe Rogan, who went full hype mode on Fight Companion and started it all. “I hope Ilia goes up to 155 pounds. I really do. Who cares if he’s defended the belt once or not? Let’s f–ing go!”

In other words, as Henry Cejudo tripled down oiled in cringe, “You know, if you ain’t trying… I mean, if you don’t go out there and actually try… I mean, the key is actually—and this is weird, man, the key is actually trying to attempt history. You know what I’m saying? If Ilia is able to go up a weight class and beat the pound-for-pound (best), then he automatically becomes the pound-for-pound king.”

But wait, does the Georgian-Spanish fighter even deserve a shot? That’s the real question, isn’t it? Sure, knocking out Volkanovski and Holloway is insane. No one’s ever finished Holloway before, and Topuria made it look easy. But should he jump straight to a title fight at lightweight?

Rogan’s argument is simple, big fights sell. Fans don’t always care about rankings and “deserving” a shot if the matchup is exciting. “It’d be nice to see him defend (his featherweight belt), but also, who cares?” Rogan laughed. “Let’s get it done!” But here’s where the UFC might put the brakes on. Dana White doesn’t seem sold on the idea.

Does this super fight fit Islam Makhachev’s or the UFC’s playbook?

White has a history of making fighters prove themselves before moving up. Look at Holloway who cleaned out the entire featherweight division before he even got a sniff at a lightweight title fight. Volkanovski? Same story. So why should Topuria get a shortcut? “There are plenty of challenges left for him at 145,” White told TMZ Sports. “Before we start talking about guys moving up, let’s see him defend that belt.”

Islam Makhachev, on his part, hasn’t slammed the door shut on a potential fight. “Oh man, I’m tired of giving chances to small guys,” he joked, clearly frustrated by the persistent callouts from Topuria. And hence to make the fight happen he’s setting conditions. Speaking to Match TV, the lightweight champion made his stance clear, “I’m not going to give him a shot right away because he hasn’t done all the work he was supposed to in his weight class. There are still contenders he needs to beat, but he doesn’t want to cut weight anymore. Let him move up and earn his shot, and we’ll definitely fight.”

But let’s flip the question, how much longer can the reigning champ even stay at lightweight? While ‘El Matador’ is hunting for champ-champ status, the Dagestani star is eyeing his own move up in weight. With four title defenses under his belt, his latest being a dominant submission win over Renato Moicano at UFC 311, Makhachev is quickly running out of worthy challengers at 155 pounds. If he’s already looking at welterweight, does that mean he should clear out lightweight first before considering a move?

And that brings us right back to the stalemate. Topuria wants the Dagestani champ, Makhachev doesn’t seem all that interested, and the UFC head honcho isn’t about to shake up the division just yet. So what’s next? A Volkanovski rematch? A fresh contender at featherweight? Maybe Makhachev will make his jump up to 170?

What do you think? Should Topuria get the fight now, or does he need to dominate featherweight first? Is Islam Makhachev dodging, or is this just the nature of the fight game? Let’s hear your take!