Islam Makhachev has already fought in one championship fight so far this year. Back in January, during UFC 311 in Inglewood, CA at Intuit Dome, he defended the UFC Lightweight Championship for the fourth successive time by way of first-round submission (D’arce choke) with 55 seconds remaining in the period versus Renato Moicano.
As spring gives way to another electrifying summer in the UFC, Makhachev won’t be entertaining a fifth title defense at 155. Earlier this week, UFC CEO Dana White took to Instagram to announce that Islam Makhachev would vacate the lightweight division’s championship in order to move up to the welterweight division and Ilia Topuria would battle Charles Oliveira on June 28 at UFC 317 for the newly-vacant lightweight strap.
Jack Della Maddalena on Islam Makhachev
Last weekend at UFC 315 in Montreal, Quebec, Jack Della Maddalena (18-2 MMA, 8-0 UFC) wrested the UFC Welterweight Championship away from now-former titleholder Belal Muhammad (24-4, 1 NC MMA, 15-4, 1 NC UFC) during the main event of the evening. In Maddalena’s post-fight interview on the telecast, he spoke about fighting Islam Makhachev.
“I think it’s a beautiful challenge, you know?”, Maddalena began. “He’s pound-for-pound No. 1. I’m going to get him back for Volk.”
Verbal Sparring Between Islam Makhachev and Ilia Topuria Ensues in UFC 315 Aftermath
With the news that Islam Makhachev is due to move up to 170 to take on Jack Della Maddalena, a series of fiery comments were exchanged between him and Ilia Topuria. The latter recently spoke at a press junket for WOW FC, a promotion of which he holds a partial ownership stake.
Among the topics of discussion was Islam Makhachev leaving the 155-lb division behind to square off against Jack Della Maddalena in the future
“He’s the biggest hypocrite I’ve ever seen,” Topuria mentioned, translated to English. “He told me [that] he wouldn’t give me a chance because I was the smaller guy and now, he’s the small one seeking the same opportunity I wanted, so it’s like he criticized a decision, an action of mine, when he’s now doing the same thing.”
Ilia Topuria: "Islam Makhachev is a hypocrite and Ali Abdelaziz has to thank him for preventing him from beating up his fighter." pic.twitter.com/q11u4PgRMb
— Álvaro Colmenero (@KOlmeneroMMA) May 15, 2025
Topuria was far from done in his comments regarding Islam Makhachev, as he also railed against his manager, Ali Abdelaziz.
“He should thank me for not beating his star, preserving his value and credibility,” he continued. “They snuck him out the back door. Everyone knows it, it was the fight everyone wanted to see. I was ready for it, I’d prepared and put everything on the table, but they backed out.”
Islam Makhachev Fires Back on X
It didn’t take Makhachev too long to deliver a counterpunch by way of social media. In a Thursday post on X (formerly known as Twitter,) he compared his own resume with Ilia Topuria’s.
Difference between me and you, that I cleaned top list in my division, moved to next, but you ran away from two contenders who had consecutive 5-9 wins in FW division. You are nobody in LW division, just a big mouth from Spain with nice haircut. Go get one W, and we can talk boy
— Makhachev Islam (@MAKHACHEVMMA) May 15, 2025
Not long after Islam Makhachev’s retort, Ilia Topuria returned fire, referring to the former as “a coward.”
The difference between you and me is that I am a man and you are a coward. I speak and fight. you talk and hide. Run away far, leaving no trace. Ты маленький пацан. https://t.co/kDuhhdIB8t
— Ilia Topuria (@Topuriailia) May 15, 2025
Final Thoughts
The fight between Islam Makhachev and Jack Della Maddalena hasn’t even been officially booked yet, but if the recent spat between these two contestants is any indicator of what’s to come down the line, fans of MMA could be in for quite the treat when the cage door shuts later this year.
Although the physical bout will be five rounds, round one of the fight before the fight played out on X earlier Thursday morning. No matter where this contest takes place, there’s one certainty: Expect the card around which this fight is built to be a strong contender for event of the year in 2025, not just in the UFC, but in the sport of MMA as a whole.
Barbs like the ones that Islam Makhachev and Ilia Topuria traded over the Internet on Thursday will be bulletin board material for both fighters once training camp and pre-fight media obligations begin. Get your popcorn ready, fans.
