Ilia Topuria is determined to win Islam Makhachev`s UFC lightweight title and believes Makhachev`s team is trying to avoid him.
Recently, Khabib Nurmagomedov, Makhachev`s friend and mentor, argued that Arman Tsarukyan should get the next title shot instead of Topuria. While it seems Topuria, who vacated his featherweight title to move up in weight, is likely to fight Makhachev, nothing is confirmed. Nurmagomedov would prefer Topuria to have another fight at 155 pounds before competing for the championship.
Topuria responded to Nurmagomedov on social media, suggesting that Nurmagomedov is simply trying to protect his fighter.
“Khabib knows I`m the one who will take the belt from Islam,” Topuria wrote. “That`s the only reason he doesn`t want Islam to fight me.”
Topuria has built considerable momentum for a potential title fight with Makhachev. After starting his UFC career with six wins, including a lightweight victory over Jai Herbert, Topuria reached the top of the featherweight division by knocking out Alexander Volkanovski at UFC 298 and then Max Holloway at UFC 308.
With these victories against MMA legends, Topuria became the first person to defeat Volkanovski at featherweight and the first to finish Holloway with strikes.
He might jump ahead of Tsarukyan in the title contender rankings, especially since Tsarukyan missed his chance to fight Makhachev in January. Makhachev previously defeated Tsarukyan in 2019, but Tsarukyan went on a strong winning streak to earn a rematch. However, Tsarukyan had to withdraw from UFC 311 due to a back injury, disappointing UFC CEO Dana White, who indicated Tsarukyan would need to work his way back to a title opportunity.
Makhachev`s future plans might depend on the outcome of the UFC 315 main event between welterweight champion Belal Muhammad and Jack Della Maddalena. Makhachev has expressed interest in moving to welterweight to become a two-division champion, but his close friendship with Muhammad has prevented this move.
If Della Maddalena defeats Muhammad, Makhachev might move to welterweight and immediately become a top contender. This could leave Topuria to face another prominent fighter at 155 pounds, possibly for a vacant or interim lightweight title.
