Ilia Topuria Knows What He Must Do to Revive Islam Makhachev Super Fight
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Ilia Topuria knows exactly what he needs to do to get fans, matchmakers, and the MMA community talking about a potential super fight against Islam Makhachev once again.
Ilia Topuria vacated his featherweight title after knocking out Max Holloway at UFC 308 and moved up in the hopes of facing then-lightweight champion Islam Makhachev. However, the Russian was compelled to vacate his strap and move up after his friend and former training partner Belal Muhammad lost his welterweight strap to Jack Della Maddalena.
As a result, the Topuria vs. Makhachev super fight never materialized.
"El Matador" captured the lightweight throne at UFC 317 to become a two-division champion after Makhachev's exit, and the latter also moved up, captured the 170-pound strap at UFC 322 to become a two-division champion, and also recaptured the P4P throne.
Once both became two-division champions, everyone was once more interested in a potential Makhachev vs. Topuria showdown.
As for Makhachev, he was game to fight "El Matador" at the White House, but Topuria wanted a huge amount of money to accept the matchup, which forced the UFC brass to change their plans. Then, the Georgian-Spaniard met Justin Gaethje, and it was a long night for Topuria.
After Topuria's brutal title loss to Gaethje, no one is interested in him fighting Makhachev now.
What Topuria Has to do Right to Reignite Super Fight
"El Matador" knows what he has to do right so that fans once more start demanding a Topuria vs. Makhachev showdown. He said to Alvaro Colmenero:
"Everything can make sense again. In my next fight, I go out, knock Paddy out, stomp on his head, and then they'll say, 'Wow, look how good the loss was for Ilia and how focused he is'. And then everything will make sense again. You're only as good as your last fight, right?"
Check out Ilia Topuria's comments below:
Islam Makhachev vs. Ilia Topuria May Never Materialize
Reigning welterweight champion Makhachev will enter the Octagon after Ramadan 2027 to take on the interim champion, who will be crowned at UFC 336. The Dagestani wrestling maestro has also confessed he has a few bouts left in the tank, and his next is one of the last.
Therefore, even if "El Matador" wants the fight, pursuing it could prove difficult. Makhachev, who has only a few fights left in his career, as already mentioned, recently expressed interest in moving up to middleweight before retiring. Hence, if the Dagestani wrestling maestro wants to chase three-division glory, Topuria's big plans may already be ruined.
