After calling out Islam Makhachev for a scrap in 2025 rather disrespectfully, Ilia Topuria has recently expressed a ton of respect for the lightweight champion. ‘El Matador’, of course, is gearing up to defend his featherweight crown against Max Holloway at UFC 308 later this month. And after that, the Spaniard wants what virtually every current UFC top dog wants- a shot at earning double champ status.

And the reason is simple- because he thinks Makhachev, unlike most other UFC champions, is actually worthy of that status. And for no apparent reason, Topuria singled out welterweight champ Belal Muhammad as the poster boy for someone who isn’t worthy of being champion.

“[Islam] is a tough guy, he’s a good champion. He’s one of the few right now that deserves the place he has. He’s a good champion that’s why I would like to share the octagon with him. He’s not like Belal [Muhammad],” Topuria said in an Instagram live session.

Muhammad, of course, is one of the most disliked fighters in the UFC. Fans, of course, despise his allegedly ‘boring’, wrestling-heavy fighting style and his frequent tendency for decisions. On the other hand, Makhachev is not only beloved by fans but is also the Pound-for-Pound #1 ranked fighter in the entire promotion.

A win over him will not only make Topuria a vaunted double-champ but also give him the P4P top spot, especially because he will be moving up to face the Dagestani. However, this doesn’t seem like a fight that will happen anytime soon because of one thing- Dana White.

Ilia Topuria has a couple of fights at 145lbs before he thinks about Islam Makhachev

Everybody wants to be a two-division champ in the UFC! Everyone from 155-pound champ Makhachev, 170-pound champ Belal Muhammad, and 185-pound king Dricus Du Plessis have said they would like to move up and fight for double champ status recently. Well, the light heavyweight title holder Alex Pereira is eyeing a third-division belt so this sentiment is pretty strong among active belt holders.

And Dana White does not like that, not one bit. The UFC CEO, of course, wants his fighters to ‘clean out’ their respective divisions before they even think about moving up. And since all of the aforementioned champions (except Makhachev) have clinched the gold in the last twelve months, they have quite clearly not ‘cleaned out’ their weight classes. Not even Alex Pereira, who has defended his title thrice already. After all, there is still #2 ranked light heavyweight Magomed Ankalaev waiting for his title shot.

And even Makhachev, who has defended his belt three times has only faced one lightweight since winning the title in late 2022. Topuria, too, is gearing up for his first title defense against Holloway, after which Brazilian dynamo Diego Lopes and a rematch with Alexander Volkanovski will probably follow, not necessarily in that order. This means Topuria doesn’t have a very good chance of facing Makhachev next year, his respect for the Dagestani notwithstanding. What are your thoughts on Topuria’s comments about Makhachev?