Islam Makhachev might have become the greatest lightweight fighter in the history of Dana White‘s premier MMA promotion after registering his fourth consecutive successful title defense at UFC 311. Meanwhile, a new contender has emerged, and it’s none other than fellow champion Ilia Topuria, who made some pretty bold claims about fighting Makhachev.

It was a mixed bag of emotions for Team Khabib as Umar Nurmagomedov lost his chance to become bantamweight champion. Moreover, there was a scare of the same thing happening to Islam Makhachev when his short-notice opponent, Renato Moicano, gave an early scare of an upset by landing a punch in the 1st round that knocked the champ down. However, the Dagestan native would get right back up, take ‘Money’ down, and submit him with his favorite submission move, the D’Arce choke, to earn the victory in the very same round.

Thereafter, Joe Rogan asked Islam Makhachev if he had any opponent in mind for his next fight. But the champion claimed that it was Dana White’s duty to do that because he’s ready for anyone who can make the 155-pound weight limit. When Makhachev said anyone, featherweight Ilia Topuria responded on X, made a bold claim, and hinted at a future showdown. “Islam, if I want to, I can finish you. if I want to, I can knock you out. I’ll make it look easy. See you soon,” ‘El Matador’ stated.

However, Islam Makhachev doesn’t see any logic in giving another featherweight fighter a chance. He clearly shared his thoughts on this fight and what effect it would have on his legacy. Here’s what the lightweight star had to say.

Fighting Ilia Topuria “makes no sense” for Islam Makhachev

Islam Makhachev clearly stated that he doesn’t see a fight against Ilia Topuria helping him in any manner. He had previously entertained a featherweight fighter, twice no less, and he’s not going to do that again. The fact that there’s no endgame to fighting the Georgian-Spaniard has made it a less appealing fight for the lightweight champion because he wants another championship to his collection. However, Makhachev seems to be a man of the people and if that’s what people want to see, including Dana White, he’d happily oblige.

“I’m tired to give chance to small guys, you know. I need my second belt,” Islam Makhachev stated during the first pre-fight UFC 311 presser. “He’s a good skills fighter, but I don’t want to give him chance.” Well, clearly Makhachev doesn’t care who steps up next because he might have to get a few more title defenses under his belt before making it to the next weight class.

Things are certainly shaping up for the between in the UFC in 2025. Let us know your thoughts on this potential fight in the comments down below.