Last month, Ilia Topuria sent shockwaves through the MMA world, announcing his decision to vacate the featherweight title and set his sights on the lightweight division. After conquering two of the greatest featherweights of all time, ‘La Leyenda’ now craves the firepower of the 155-pound ranks. But is he truly ready for the challenge? Topuri is known for his knack for riling up opponents long before fight night. From trading verbal jabs with lightweight king Islam Makhachev to stirring the pot with former champ Charles Oliveira, the Georgian-Spanish star has been turning up the heat, and this has caused ‘Do Bronx’ to call him out publicly for disrespectful behavior.

In his statement, Charles Oliveira emphasized that Ilia Topuria is not a big fight for him because he is looking to run for the title. Ilia Topuria, of course, didn’t let that slide, as when asked about Do Bronx’s statement, the soon-to-be-former champion uttered only one thing: “Because it is clear that he hasn’t even read a sheet of a newspaper. So, good.” Quite an attack from the former featherweight; however, when you have defeated two of the biggest featherweights(Alexander Volkanovski, Max Holloway), you can have this persona.

Did Oliveira respond to such a thrashing attack? Well, he certainly did. According to the former lightweight champion, Ilia Topuria is being overly disrespectful to everyone in the division. “I’ve been in the UFC for 15 years, and I’ve never spoken poorly about anyone… I think [Topuria] was disrespectful with what he said.”

He further added, “I just want to remind everyone that the toughest division is lightweight. I’ve been in it for years, so I have something to say. I know the firepower I have. I think [Topuria] needs to get into the division more calmly, more slowly. Because there are a lot of tough guys who deserve respect.” 

Since the day Ilia Topuria announced his move to the lightweight division, he has been making enemies out of his opponents. He straight-out had a beef with Islam Makhachev, and now Charles Oliveira is his latest target.

Both Islam Makhachev and Charles Oliveira are expressing the same sentiment: Ilia Topuria should face other top contenders in the promotion before challenging them. Their concern is valid, as they have fought through numerous opponents to reach their current positions. Allowing Topuria to bypass others and fight them directly would be disrespectful to their legacies. Well, this back-and-forth by the former champions has divided the fans into two.

Charles Oliveira shakes up the MMA world with bold callout of Ilia Topuria

Ilia Topuria has been a phenomenon within the MMA world, changing the narrative of the sport. No one expected him to defeat Alexander Volkanovski, but he finished him and claimed the belt. Similarly, Max Holloway was the fan favorite in their fight, yet Topuria shocked the world by becoming the first person to finish Holloway. With such accomplishments, his confidence is understandable. However, according to a fan, ‘La Leyenda’ might be taking it a bit too far. “Absolutely! Ilia being too cocky without doing shit in lightweight division, used to love him but can’t wait see dude gets humbled….” the fan wrote on social media.

Moreover, another social media user called out Charles Oliveira to fight Ilia Topuria if he wants to prove his statement: “Then fight him, otherwise the champ talks how he wants.” One fan, meanwhile, had his own prediction for a potential fight between Oliveira and Topuria: “Ilia by knockout (and I love Charles).”

Ilia Topuria has yet to prove himself in the division, however, he is not willing to fight anyone except Islam Makhachev. This sturrbon behaviour by the soon-to-be-former featherweight champ might have just irked a fan, as they wrote, “ilia hasnt done shit in this division. Under no circumstances should he get a title shot.”

After his victory against Michael Chandler at UFC 309, the Brazilian has expressed his willingness to fight for the title. However, he has also shown interest in a rematch against Max Holloway for the BMF belt. Well, ‘Do Bronx’s solution to his equation is a battle for a title, and Ilia Topuria doesn’t suit his formula. Looking at this, a fan wrote,“This fight isn’t gonna happen, Charles is not gonna take the fight with ilia and wants to go straight for Islam IMO” 

Last but not least, another fan called out the former lightweight champion to clash against Topuria, “THEN FIGHT HIM !!!” With both Islam Makhachev and Charles Oliveira jamming on the same rhythm, how will the UFC CEO, Dana White react? Will Topuria start from the very bottom again? State your thoughts in the comments below.