“I can’t announce it yet, but there’s an offer we need to discuss with the team because there are options,” said Islam Makhachev, teasing his next big fight. The Dagestani has been such a dominant force in the lightweight division that every contender, regardless of skill set, appears to be a step behind him. Following his fourth title defense against Renato Moicano, Makhachev hinted at something big—an announcement yet to be made by UFC CEO Dana White. Meanwhile, Ilia Topuria is also teasing a potential clash with the Dagestani. Could this mean the ultimate fight is in the making? Maybe not.

While having a conversation with the Full Send Podcast, featherweight champion Ilia Topuria explained that he has been eyeing the lightweight title for a while now, and that it is time for him to claim it as the 155-lb champion, “I know 100% that I’m gonna whoop his ass. I like to fight with people that the fans think that it’s gonna be very competitive… With Islam, I’m gonna have that,” said ‘El Matador’.

Topuria’s words found their way to Islam Makhachev’s desk. During a conversation with Match TV, the lightweight champion was asked several questions about the Georgian-Spanish champion, “He thinks this to himself, but no one else talks about it. I had heard that he has problems cutting weight, and that he no longer fits into the limit in his weight class. He’s probably gained fat from the good life, and he already wants to leave the belt and move up.”

When asked about whether Makhachev would give Topuria a chance at the title, Makhachev asserted that he would have to earn it, “But I’m not going to give him a chance right away because he hasn’t done all the work in his weight class. He only has one defense; he has other contenders he should have beaten. But he doesn’t want to cut weight anymore, so let him move up, and when he earns his chance, we will definitely fight.”

Islam Makhachev has already surpassed his mentor, Khabib Nurmagomedov, to become the greatest lightweight to have ever stepped into the Octagon. With a record-breaking winning streak and the most title defenses at 155 lbs, Makhachev is currently at the pinnacle of the division. However, a certain group of people believes that Ilia Topuria has what it takes to dethrone the lightweight king.

Henry Cejudo believes Ilia Topuria should get the chance to fight Islam Makhachev

Tuning into Joe Rogan‘s quotes, former dual-weight champion of the world, Henry Cejudo said on his Pound-4-Pound podcast that Ilia Topuria should fight Islam Makhachev, “I like what Joe Rogan’s saying… Ilia deserves that,” said Henry Cejudo. Ilia Topuria is yet to be defeated in his MMA career and in addition to that, he knocked out two of the biggest featherweight fighters – former undisputed champions Alexander Volkanovski and Max Holloway – in his last two fights.

Looking at this record, Cejudo asserted, “But it takes two to tangle and these Dagestanis, bro, they say ‘anytime, anywhere,’ (but) it’s like Islam wants to make sure Ilia deserves it. He wants him to go through more contenders.” Joining in on Cejudo’s rhythm, Kamaru Usman asserted, “When Ilia Topuria said ‘I’m coming in and I’m going to stop you Volkanovski’, what did we say?” Everyone doubted him. Then he did it. He said the same about Max Holloway. He went out there and stopped him,” Usman reminded fans. “So, if he wants to move up, I support it 100%.”

‘Tripe C’ further added that if Ilia Topuria somehow manages to have a fight against Islam Makhachev and wins it, he would stand at the pinnacle of the P4P rankings. Given that, what are your thoughts on Ilia Topuria and the Dagetsani’s rivalry? State your thoughts in the comments below.