“For me, he [Max Holloway] is really bad. All you have to do is look at his nose. That’s how bad he is. He takes every punch.” Call him arrogant or confident, but this is what Ilia Topuria said before the much-anticipated fight against Max Holloway at UFC 308. Well, guess what? Often touted as a ‘loudmouth‘, Topuria had the last laugh after he did the unthinkable when he not only maintained his undefeated record[16] but also became the first fighter to have knocked Holloway out. A win so big that put ‘El Matador’ on a pedestal after his questionable move from lightweight to featherweight. This win made him confident enough to go on and challenge Islam Makhachev. But is the lightweight champion ready to welcome Topuria and finally end his winning streak?

When he came across Topuria’s challenge during an interview with Demetrious Johnson, Makhachev stepped back, claiming that he was “tired of giving chances to small guys.” But the world of mixed martial arts was already dreaming of a fight between the two. And the timeline coincided with UFC 317 during the International Fight Week. While the Dagestani champion initially refused to take up the fight against Topuria, the pressure that the fight fans put on him, made him agree to it. And Team Khabib was of a similar mind.

On 20 February 2025, the AKA head coach, Javier Mendez, made an appearance on Submission Radio. Therein, the host, Denis Shkuratov, asked if IFW was the time for the Dagestani champ to prepare for Topuria. Well, Team Khabib wasn’t one to back down from the challenge. He replied, “All Islam needs is 2 months to prepare for anybody. He’s not gonna care who he fights. You know, you make 155, you know, we all have the same attitude. We fight. You pay us, this is who you’re offering. He’s not gonna say no. If that’s who they offer, that’s who is being worked out, is on the table for Islam, that’s what Islam is going to do. That’s just the way he is. He’s a true warrior. He’s not somebody that’s gonna say ‘No, no, no, give me somebody else.’ No, he’s gonna fight.” 

Well, that’s the way things were with Islam Makhachev. He didn’t care who his opponent was. All he did was secure the win. We’ve already seen that at UFC 311 after Renato Moicano jumped in on 2-day’s notice to fight Makhachev. The champ didn’t only fight but he also claimed the win with a phenomenal D’Arce choke. And securing a win over Topuria with 2 months to prepare didn’t seem impossible at all. But while Mendez was all in for the Topuria vs. Makhachev matchup, the champ seemed to have a difference of opinion.

Islam Makhachev doesn’t want to give Ilia Topuria a chance at the LW title

Not too long ago, during his interview with Match TV, Makhachev pushed Ilia Topuria to prove himself in the lightweight division first. 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.”

For now, the undisputed lightweight champion is planning to do something that Khabib Nurmagomedov has never done. And that’s to claim the title of a double champion. With his aim set for the welterweight championship title, he wasn’t going to give a chance Topuria. That’s simply a drop-down for his dream, don’t you think?

Top Comment by Jedi

Since Topuria has just moved up to new weight class he should fight with a high ranked fighter to prove...more

Share your take

Debate

Even ‘The Eagle’ was of a similar mind. He previously pointed out that Makhachev had already given chances to Alexander Volkanovski. And we all know how those fights turned out. Nurmagomedov seemed to believe that Makhachev had the potential to repeat the same thing against ‘El Matador’. On top of that, Rizvan Magomedov dropped in Topuria vs. Dustin Poirier or Charles Oliveira as a better option for the UFC. According to him, the world needed a fight that made sense. Makhachev didn’t need to fight another “small featherweight”.

What is your opinion on the matchup between Topuria and Makhachev? Should the UFC big guns get ‘El Matador’ a title shot right away? And are 2 months enough to give Makhachev enough time to prepare for Topuria? Let us know what you think in the debate section below.