Can Ilia Topuria, the Georgian Spanish featherweight king, forge a new legacy by beating Team Khabib’s prodigy Islam Makhachev? Is it a long shot or a feasible endeavor to pursue? Ilia Topuria is someone who does not have the word ‘impossible’ written in his dictionary and now the former featherweight king isn’t just taking about beating Islam Makhachev, he’s written a bold storyline that would make anime creators take notes—he said he can knock out or submit Makhachev.

Some fighters might as well just try to catch an eel because that would be easier than knocking out team Khabib’s best pupil. But this is ‘El Matador’ we are talking about who turned his predictions into reality. His promise of  Alexander Volkanovski of his acclaim? Check. Destroying Max Holloway and giving him his first KO loss? Check. The 16-0 undefeated Spaniard has, so far, delivered his promises stamped with receipt inside the Octagon.

While some folks in the community are still skeptical of Ilia Topuria‘s penchant to predict the outcomes of his fights, other stars like Dustin Poirier support ‘El Matador’ all the way. Recently Poirier decided to show his stance on this matter while speaking with Robert Lee Griffin III in the Outta Pocket Podcast. He said, “He is everything he said he was and I still believe that.” To this RGII replied, “You think he could beat Islam?”

‘The Diamond’ responded rather diplomatically, “I’m not saying he can but I’d buy pay-per-view. It’s gonna be a tough one. I have never seen Ilia in person, first of all. I know they say he is big and walks at 190 pounds all that stuff but I’ve been in there with Islam and that’s a big dude. I just think that size difference would be huge but the guy’s got fast hands and great technique, you know—he can knock anybody out.”

Topuria vacated his featherweight title recently leaving Alexander Volkanovski & Diego Lopes to fight for the vacant title at UFC 314. “It’s honorable to vacate the belt,” Poirier said of Topuria’s decision in an interview with MMA Fighting. “To not hold up the division where guys have been working so hard to get their shot at the title. He’s doing it the right way.”

On top of that, Ariel Helwani reported that the UFC is trying to put together Topuria vs. Makhachev. He mentioned that the promotion is looking for International Fight Week as a potential timeframe for the fight. Makhachev’s team is not so gung-ho about facing Topuria yet and posted on X that the latter should face someone like Poirier, or Charles Oliveira, before the title shot. Even Tim Welch thinks that Makhachev is a hard nut to crack and Topuria will not be able to fulfill his prediction this time.

Tim Welch supports Islam Makhachev against Ilia Topuria

Sean O’Malley’s coach Tim Welch does not think that he is just another storm that Topuria can overcome. “Ilia Topuria, I’m curious as to when they’re going to book the fight [Topuria vs. Makhachev] if he’s going to try to put on four or five pounds of muscle. But Ilia Topuria has never thrown a kick above the waist ever in his UFC career. He’s got this wide boxing stance, I feel like there is, there’s a puncher’s chance,” the coach said on his YouTube channel.

He further added that if Makahchev grabs hold of the Spaniard, his undefeated record might be blemished by a loss very soon. “But as soon as Islam grabs a hold of him, I think it’s going to be over. And it’s when you’re fighting someone who’s an orthodox boxer, it’s not that hard to time a shot to the legs. And I’m sure Ilia Topuria is a really good grappler—a really good black belt. But I think Islam’s just going to be too strong, too powerful and he’s gonna submit Ilia Topuria,” Welch declared.

But Topuria’s confidence is sky-high right now. Recently he declared his prediction and faith in God at the Full Send Podcast. He said, “We all know at some point, I will connect that punch, and everything will depend on what God will decide. If he wants to send Islam to sleep or not, who knows that? I know that.” 

His goals have been clear to him for a while now. Ahead of UFC 308, he had declared his desire to move up to lightweight and defeat Makhachev. This confidence is not just a claim thrown in the air but has substantial backup because the Spaniard has competed with Dagestani wrestlers for years. During an interview with ABC Spain, he recalled, “When I was little, I participated in Greco-Roman wrestling championships, and I have shared many championships with many Dagestanis.”

So he is not going into the ship without knowing how to maneuver it in the sea. “I know how their thought process works, I know their level of technique, their level of strength, I know what bothers them and what doesn’t bother them, I know them very well…” he added. And let’s not forget—Ilia Topuria made his lightweight debut in 2022, where he knocked out Jai Herbert cold—before moving back to featherweight.

This is one of those intriguing matchups where it’s just hard to predict the outcome, given the absolute dominance and technical ability of both fighters. Who do you think wins that fight? Let us know what you think in the comments down below.