Welcome to another episode of ‘Ilia Topuria Says What?!’ – where the impossible is just another normal task and audacity comes with a Spanish accent. The now-former featherweight king isn’t just eyeing Islam Makhachev’s lightweight throne; he’s scripting a scenario so bold it would make fiction writers blush. Knocking out or submitting Makhachev? You might as well propose catching lightning in a bottle and taming thunder before even thinking to do that to the Dagestani juggernaut. But here’s the twist – when Topuria makes these seemingly outlandish proclamations, history suggests we should lean in rather than laugh.

This is the same man who turned predictions into prophecies, doubters into believers, and opponents into chapters in his growing legend. Every claim comes with a receipt, stamped and delivered in the Octagon. Let it be stripping Alexander Volkanovski of his glory or bulldozing Max Holloway’s granite chin, the Georgian-Spaniard has delivered in some style. Yet even in this tale of ambition, some voices of reason emerge from the chaos.

Sean O’Malley’s coach Tim Welch sees something different. Looking at Makhachev, he sees not just another mountain to climb, but Mount Everest itself – a peak that might be too steep even for Topuria’s remarkable talent. “Ilia Topuria, I’m curious as to when they’re going to book the fight [Topuria vs. Makhachev] if he’s going to actually try to put on four or five pounds of muscle. But Ilia Topuria has never thrown a kick above the waist ever in his UFC career. He’s got this wide boxing stance, I feel like there is obviously, there’s a puncher’s chance,” the coach said on his YouTube channel.

“But as soon as Islam grabs a hold of him, I think it’s going to be over. And it’s when you’re fighting someone who’s an orthodox boxer, it’s not that hard to time a shot to the legs. And I’m sure Ilia Topuria is a really good grappler, a really good black belt. But I think Islam’s just going to be too strong, too powerful and he’s gonna submit Ilia Topuria,” Welch declared.

But what did the former 145lbs god-king say to warrant such a bold claim? “We all know at some point, I will connect that punch, and everything will depend on what God will decide. If he wants to send Islam to sleep or not, who knows that? I know that.” That was Ilia Topuria just days ago on the Full Send podcast—his confidence is nothing short of unwavering.

But this isn’t new. The Spanish-Georgian fighter had long hinted at moving up to lightweight. Ahead of UFC 308 last year, he made his ambitions crystal clear: “If they call me and they want me to move up to the lightweight division, I will be okay with that; move up and be the first one to submit Islam Makhachev.” Now, he’s doubling down on that claim.

In an interview with ABC Spain, Topuria explained why he believes he has the perfect style to dethrone Makhachev, thanks to years of experience competing against Dagestani wrestlers: “For Islam, I represent a style that he knows would beat him… When I was little, I participated in Greco-Roman wrestling championships, and I have shared many championships with many Dagestanis.

“I know how their thought process works, I know their level of technique, their level of strength, I know what bothers them and what doesn’t bother them, I know them very well… So, even if it seems like a very difficult fight, I would make Islam suffer a lot, [maybe] too much.”

Topuria isn’t just calling for a fight—he’s sending a message. If he ever steps into the lightweight division, he’s coming for the champ. And this isn’t all talk! Even though you can’t tell based on any of his UFC fights, Topuria is actually a pretty good grappler. The Spanish-Georgian came into the sport on a wrestling base and held a BJJ black belt as a cherry on top.

But there are levels to this game. The former champ might be good but is he Islam Makhachev? A combat sambo world champion with 50% of his UFC wins coming via submission! The odds are surely stacked. However, this is the fight game, and until the duo dance in the Octagon, we cannot say for sure. However, what we can say for sure is that if Topuria actually beats Makhachev, he will become the biggest star in the sport by far, as veteran MMA journalist Luke Thomas pointed out.

Why a win over Islam Makhachev would be career-defining for Ilia Topuria?

Last year, Ilia Topuria beat the two greatest featherweights of all time and did so via spectacular knockouts. This is why there was a razor-close contest between him and Alex Pereira for Fighter of the Year. And with Topuria having moved up to 155lbs, keen-eyed MMA analyst Luke Thomas thinks that the contest between ‘El Matador’ and ‘Poatan’ is about to heat up. Not in a fight, of course, but in the contest of who is the real face of the sport.

“If Ilia goes up and fights Islam and beats Islam… I think right now ‘Poatan’ is like the hottest celebrated fighter who’s active. But if Ilia ends up fighting Islam and beating him, he will be the biggest star in the sport by a million miles. That’s probably the reason why he’s chasing this territory,” Thomas said on his YouTube show.

Of course, there is another reason Topuria has moved up to lightweight in a huff. He hates cutting weight to make the 145-pound featherweight limit. But Thomas’ point stands. If Topuria beats the nigh unbeatable Makhachev, the UFC’s P4P king, who has dominated the toughest division in the entire sport, there will be no doubt who the best fighter in the world is. What do you think about Tim Welch’s take on a possible Makhachev-Topuria fight?