The undefeated UFC prospect, Ilia Topuria, managed to successfully dethrone Alexander Volkanovski by knocking him unconscious in the second round of their fight at UFC 298. Topuria’s win over Volkanovski has boosted not only his credibility as a fighter but also his popularity. However, he wishes to double that.

The Spaniard has been eyeing Islam Makhachev‘s lightweight title and is chasing the coveted ‘champ champ’ status. However, this isn’t sitting too well with the No. 1 PFP-ranked fighter. At least that’s what it seems like, given a quote that has been spreading like wildfire.

Fight fans lay victim to fake Islam Makhachev response to Ilia Topuria’s callout

There had been a fake quote of the UFC lightweight champion, Islam Makhachev, accepting Topuria’s challenge. The quote made it seem like the Dagestani didn’t take too kindly to his name being called out by the newly crowned UFC featherweight champion. In response to the callout, the ‘fake quote’ wrote, “Another short guy is talking, Another short guy wants to be smeshed.”

To give a bit of context on why the post gained traction, Makhachev won the title back in October 2022 at UFC 280. However, he has yet to defend it against a legitimate lightweight. Both of his title defenses were against Volkanovski (and not his fault that his opponent pulled out of UFC 294).

Therefore, a lot of fans did not welcome the idea of the 155-lb champion fighting 145-lb contenders when there were deserving candidates in his own division. This was evident in their responses to the quote on Instagram.

Fans were quick to fill the comments section of a repost of the quote on Instagram. Here are some of the comments from the post:

A fan termed Makhachev the “featherweight merchant” for his two wins against Alexander Volkanovski and possibly even Topuria.
“islam “featherweight merchant” makhachev”

While another fan had a differing opinion, claiming that Topuria would easily knock out Makhachev.
“Easy knockout for ilia”

One fan believes that the lightweight champion would humble “El Matador”
“Islam will humble him”

A fan called Makhachev’s statement out, implying that there’s not much height difference between the two.
“He’s only like 3 inches taller”

Another had a hilarious comment suggesting that most of Islam Makhachev’s title defenses would be against featherweights
“By the time islam retires majority of his defenses will be featherweights”

A fan pointed out how the Russian would get criticized despite winning against top featherweight fighters
“After Islam mauls ilia all we’ll hear Is “Islam hasn’t defended his belt against a real 155r” lol”

And one fan predicted that Makhachev would beat all featherweights in the division.
“Islam would crunch every featherweight in the ufc”

However, it is also important to note that Makhachev is not the only name Topuria has in mind to defend his belt against.

Topuria’s hit list for featherweight title defenses

Islam Makhachev’s provocative comment was a response to Ilia Topuria’s callout. However, it is not just Makhachev, who the featherweight champion wants to fight. Topuria also stated that he wished to take on three other fighters apart from Makhachev.

During a recent interview with Eurosport, Topuria stated, “[Translated] The three rivals that I would most like in the next fight are Conor McGregor, Max Holloway or Sean O’Malley. I want to fight again before the end of the year and then the next target would be Islam Makhachev. That fight would be the one that would bring me closest to number one in the pound-for-pound ranking. I see myself as a double champion.”

Also Read: Where Does Ilia Topuria Train? Coaches, Sparring Partners, Teammates, and All We Know About UFC Star’s Gym

Topuria’s words speak for themselves. One title defense against a big name and then Makhachev. An ambitious plan, considering the names he has in mind.

Do you think that Topuria has what it takes to become a double champion in the UFC? Or will he lose his undefeated streak against Islam Makhachev if he goes up to lightweight? Let us know what you think in the comment section below.

Also Read: “Poetry in Motion”- Alexander Volkanovski Hit With Reality Check as Ilia Topuria’s Boxing Credentials Get Applauded by Ex-Champ Before UFC 298