“All my training is focused on Islam or Charles because I don’t see any other opponents. Neither of them seems to dare. These are the symptoms of fear, we all know that, but it’s normal, I’d be scared too.” Ilia Topuria struck at Islam Makhachev and Charles Oliveira with the statement on 27 March 2025, during a press conference in Spain. ‘La Leyenda’ was indeed focused on fighting the Dagestani champion. After all, he was even ready to leave his featherweight title behind him. But Daniel Cormier doesn’t agree with Topuria. 

Being a close associate of Makhachev for years, DC knows pretty well how the lightweight champion thinks. But when he came across Topuria’s words regarding his training focused around Oliveira and Makhachev, Cormier had to respond. Taking to his YouTube channel on 28 March, DC stood in defense of the lightweight champion. He said, “I know for sure that Islam Makhachev is not afraid of him. I’ll tell you this as a person that’s a friend of Islam, a person that has known Islam for years and years and years. He’s not afraid of him. So, while Ilia Topuria might strike some fear in most, or some, Islam’s not afraid of him.” 

Okay, so that pushed away the troubles for Makhachev. But what about  ‘Do Bronx’? Well, according to the former heavyweight champion, no one in the lightweight realm’s top is scared of fighting the Spaniard. He continued, “And I’ll be honest with you. Neither is Justin Gaethje, neither is Charles Oliveira, neither is Dustin Poirier, or Michael Chandler. Those guys aren’t afraid of each other. They’re fighters. And when you’re a fighter, fear is kinda the last thing that crosses your mind in regards to another fighter. Especially if all you have to do is fight them.”

Needless to say, getting to watch Topuria clash with Makhachev would be nothing short of exciting. Champion vs. Champion is what that might get called. However, things aren’t as smooth as we’d like them to be. But if Islam Makhachev isn’t afraid of fighting Ilia Topuria, why hasn’t he agreed to a fight? 

Why doesn’t Islam Makhachev want to fight Ilia Topuria?

The answer to that lies in the fact that Topuria is a newborn in the lightweight realm. And asking for the title shot right away wasn’t something that new inductees in a division do. Of course, the fighters can aim for the top, but they still have to climb through the roster to reach that spot. And that’s exactly what Makhachev claimed when he conversed with Match TV earlier in January. He said, “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.”

On top of that, there’s another problem looming around the matchup between Topuria and Makhachev. And that’s the Dagestani champion’s desire to move up in the weight class and fight as a welterweight. Of course, that wouldn’t happen as long as Dana White doesn’t let it happen. But Makhachev has been claiming that he has walked through most of the fighters in his division, and wished for some novelty. He said, “I want a new challenge, a new belt. The welterweight belt is the thing that makes me wake up early in the morning and train every day; this is my dream.”

Nevertheless, Makhachev will have to agree and fight ‘La Leyenda’ if the higher-ups in the UFC want him to. That much is for sure. But if he had a say in it, he wouldn’t really spoonfeed Topuria a shot at the title right after landing in the lightweight division. And with Makhachev aiming to become a 2-division champion, the dream of watching Makhachev vs. Topuria might just remain a dream. 

What do you think of DC’s response to Topuria’s claims about Makhachev and Oliveira being afraid of him? Do you think ‘El Matador’ can fend for himself well against the best of the lightweight contenders? Let us know what you think in the comments down below.