Are we on the verge of another Jose Aldo vs. Conor McGregor moment, but this time in the lightweight division? If you’re scratching your head, we’re talking about the war of words between Ilia Topuria and Charles Oliveira that has reached a boiling point, and ‘La Leyenda’ seems to be channeling his inner ‘Mystic Mac.’ Not content with just taking aim at the former champ, Topuria has now set his sights on an entire region, just what McGregor did when he was beefing with Jose Aldo.

“Do Bronx,” in one of his statements, asserted that Ilia Topuria is being disrespectful towards the veterans of the division. This sparked the ongoing back-and-forth banter between these two UFC stalwarts. Well, in his attempt to gain relevance within the lightweight division, ‘Le Leyenda’ appears to have crossed the limits. When asked about Charles Oliveira, Ilia Topuria called out to the former lightweight champ with the same words that Conor McGregor used for Jose Aldo.

According to Reddit, the translation of Ilia Topuria’s Spanish statement about Charles Oliveira reads as follows, “[…] So for him [Charles] to say he’s the king and I’m the clown, if these were different times, I would have invaded his favela on horseback and killed anyone who is not fit to work, but we’re in new times, so I’ll just kick his a–“

Does that sound familiar? It should be because those are the exact words Conor McGregor used when he taunted Jose Aldo in 2015 at the press conference in Rio. Let’s take you down memory lane. ‘Mystic Mac’s popularity soared when the UFC booked his fight against Jose Aldo. Known for being one of the best trash talkers in the UFC history, Conor McGregor in his attempt to intensify beef with the king of Rio, called out to the entire Brazil, “My name, the McGregor name, my family’s motto is ‘S Rioghal Mo Dhream’ that means ‘royal is in my blood.’ That goes way back. So for him to say that he is the king and I am the joker, if this was a different time, I would invade his favela on horseback and would kill anyone who wasn’t fit to work.”

That was a bold move from McGregor, considering he was in hostile territory, surrounded by thousands of booing Brazilian fans. But it helped him immensely as he got under the skin of Jose Aldo and dethroned the undefeated king, who had reigned unchallenged for a decade, in just 13 seconds. Now, coming back to 2025, Ilia Topuria has fired the shots for a war but that does not guarantee he gets a shot at ‘Do Bronx.’

The lightweight division is going through a process of metamorphism as we speak. The champion is such a dominant force that all of the contenders are fighting among themselves to clash against Islam Makhachev. We have Max Holloway, Arman Tsarukyan, Justin Gaethje, Charles Oliveira, and the newly arrived Ilia Topuria as the next contenders.

But who will be the one to challenge the king? That’s the question. While the other three are preferable options, tensions are rising between Topuria and Oliveira. Amidst the chaos, ‘Do Bronx’ has come forward to express his thoughts on his next match.

Charles Oliveira doubles down on his stance to fight for the title

Charles Oliveira ragdolled the entire lightweight division to claim the 155 lbs gold; however, when he came face-to-face against Islam Makhachev, he crumbled. After the defeat, the Brazilian stated, “A wounded lion is a more dangerous animal, and I’m going to go back and hunt again.” The former lightweight champion emphasized that he would come back from his setback, and guess what? it appears that the time has come for Oliveira to make a comeback to the lightweight scene.

While having a conversation with Chael Sonnen, ‘Do Bronx’ emphasized that he is the true contender for the lightweight belt as he has defeated every major fighter within the division, “I have already passed all these on the UFC. [There are] a lot of rumors all over around, but at the end of the day, they’re gonna decide what they want to do, right? The right thing to do is Oliveira vs Islam Makhachev because I’m number one. I’m just waiting for the call, just let me know the date and the time and I’ll be ready.”

After defeating Michael Chandler in a rematch at UFC 309, Charles Oliveira has been vocal about facing Islam Makhachev once again. However, will the champ grant him another chance? Many questions remain unanswered within the division, but for now, all we can do is hope for the best action from this stacked lineup. What are your thoughts on the buzz? Share your opinion in the comments below!