Ilia Topuria remains in limbo as he awaits his first fight in the UFC’s lightweight division after recently relinquishing his featherweight title. Why? Because it looks like he’ll have to wait in line behind two other title contenders. That doesn’t mean, he’s not in the running for the title by company standards. It’s just that Charles Oliveira and Justin Gaethje (and the champion Islam Makhachev) are not too keen on him fighting for the title in his lightweight debut.

However, according to him, the plan—at least from what he’s been told—is for him to receive an immediate shot at the championship when he makes his debut at 155 pounds. During a conversation at the weekend’s WOW 17 event in Madrid, Spain, ‘La Leyenda,’ said, “The UFC promised me I’d fight for the belt. That’s why I vacated it. And they’ve always kept their promise.” 

However, the champion Islam Makhachev has made it clear that he has no intentions of fighting Topuria as of yet. The Georgian-Spanish fighter first needs to prove himself in one of the toughest divisions in the UFC, to get himself a title shot. However, former UFC referee Big John McCarthy agrees with this matchup. McCarthy and Thomson took to their ‘Weighing In’ podcast to share their opinion on the whole.

During the podcast, the former referee said, “I am just being honest when you sit there and I don’t doubt anything that he is saying. And it makes sense because for a former champion because he vacated only. But he was a current champion of the featherweight division. To make that step up. And the one thing I know out of Islam, he’s not going sit there and duck anybody.”

McCarthy added, “You put Ilia Topuria in front of him he will say when. Where? Just tell me. And he will be there. So I believe the UFC did promise Ilia. I think it’s a good promise I think it’s you know a fight that everyone would love to see. It’s one of the biggest fights you could have. And so make it happen.” Even his partner former UFC fighter Thomson also agreed to the fact. However, he praised the 28-year-old for his success and feels he will be a threat to anyone in the division.

Thomson added, “He deserves whatever respect you can give him. He is a fantastic fighter. He is a true threat to anybody I think even in the 55-pound division”. There’s no doubt that Ilia Topuria will be one of the toughest challenges that the Dagestani fighter has faced. Most fans and experts feel that Topuria has all the skill sets to dethrone the champion. However, Ian Garry doesn’t want to see this match-up. He wants to see Topuria take on Oliveira next.

Ian Garry feels Charles Oliveira vs Ilia Topuria will be the biggest fight

Ilia Topuria vs. Islam Makhachev has become the hottest topic in the MMA world, with fans buzzing about the potential lightweight ‘super-fight.’ It’s one of the most exciting matchups the UFC could put together, but whether it will actually happen this year remains uncertain. While the majority of fans are eager to see the Georgian-Spaniard test himself against the dominant Dagestani champion, a showdown with Charles Oliveira is also seen as an equally thrilling possibility. ‘Do Bronx’ didn’t seem the least bit interested in being Ilia Topuria’s first opponent at lightweight.

The Brazilian star made it clear that his focus is solely on getting another shot at the title, insisting that he wants to settle unfinished business with the champion before considering any other matchups. Welterweight contender Ian Garry, who recently spent time training with Team Topuria, sees this potential showdown as the biggest fight the UFC could book in 2025.

He said, “He is a phenom. He has been beating the greatest in his division. To back-to-back knocking them out and showing the world how amazing he is. I had the pleasure to go to his home today and train with him. He is a beautiful person inside and out and it’s a pleasure to call him a fan and I look forward to see him in future. I’ll tell you! The fight between Charles and Ilia will be the biggest fight the UFC could ever make. It’s a big fight.”

Do you think we are bound to witness Ilia Topuria vs. Islam Makhachev in the near future? Let us know what you think in the comments down below.