It is pretty easy to take a clear stance on some issues. For instance, should Jon Jones fight Tom Aspinall? The answer for most fans would be a simple ‘yes’. Aspinall is the interim champ, and ‘Bones’ holds the ‘undisputed’ belt. Of course, Jones should fight the Englishman next. But other questions are much trickier. And the trickiest question around in the MMA world at the moment is whether Ilia Topuria should get to fight lightweight champ Islam Makhachev next? Well, there are pretty good and legitimate arguments to be made on both sides, and reasonable minds can fall on either side of this issue.
And lightweight star Beneil Dariush spoke about exactly what makes this issue so tricky in a month-old interview with Helen Yee. “If Ilia is coming into the division, I honestly think he’s the most deserving. But I don’t think Makhachev and his team right now want to give a shot to another ’45er. They, I think, they feel like they did it twice; that’s enough. You know, now they want to [fight] contenders,” ‘Benny’ said.
“But Makhachev also wants to fight new guys. So it’s kind of one of those things where you’re stuck. You’re stuck because you have a new opponent, but he’s a former ’45er, and you’re like, ‘I don’t want to fight another ’45er.’ So it’s a weird spot to be in,” he added.
March 27, 2025, Madrid, Madrid, SPAIN: Ilia Topuria attends during the Presentation of WOW, with Movistar Plus and Ilia Topuria at Movistar eSports Center on March 27, 2025, in Madrid, Spain. Madrid SPAIN – ZUMAa181 20250327_zaa_a181_025 Copyright: xDennisxAgyemanx
Indeed, two of Makhachev’s record-breaking four lightweight title defenses have been against the then-featherweight champion, Alexander Volkanovski, at UFC 284 and 294. Another dilemma that the lightweight champion currently faces is the question of moving up to 170lbs and going for a second title. Ahead of UFC 311, the Dagestani made it clear that he won’t leave the sport without a double strap. But with Belal Muhammad ruling the ranks at welterweight and owing to his brotherly relationship with ‘Team Khabib’, that matchup isn’t likely to happen.
This was even confirmed by Khabib Nurmagomedov recently in an interview with Adam Zubayraev. However, Makhachev may get his wish at 170lbs if Della Maddalena is successful in dethroning ‘Bully B’ at UFC 315. But considering 155lbs, the Dagestani and his team are against giving a title shot to essentially another featherweight. This was highlighted by Nurmagomedov in the same interview with Zubayraev. But it seems Ilia Topuria has a different opinion.
Ilia Topuria is insistent as Khabib Nurmagomedov refuses him Islam Makhachev title clash
“I don’t know what kind of agreements Topuria and UFC had, but from Islam’s side, he already gave two title shots to 145-pound champions. Both times, Islam won. Now a third time?” Khabib Nurmagomedov said in a recent interview with Adam Zubayraev. In fact, ‘The Eagle’ feels that Arman Tsarukyan “is a more serious fighter than Topuria” and should be next for the Makhachkala native.
But Topuria is not just any ’45-pounder. The man is an undefeated, generational talent, coming off two knockout wins against two of the greatest featherweights of all time. So it’s hard to argue he doesn’t deserve the lightweight title shot right away. But then again, Nurmagomedov’s aforementioned argument and the fact that ‘La Leyenda’ is still unproven at 155lbs are also valid concerns.
But then again, Topuria told Joe Rogan on his podcast that “I got a promise that I would fight for the title in my next fight” from the UFC and is willing to “sit until you’re going to have to fight me.” This is again a solid point. After all, the man vacated his featherweight title because of this agreement with the UFC, and it would be unfair to him not to give him a lightweight title shot.
But that is between the UFC and Topuria. Clearly, Makhachev was not consulted before Dana White and Co. made this promise, or he would have probably refused then, so the Dagestani isn’t liable for that promise. As you can see, it is really hard to take a stance on this topic, so we would like to hear what you think about it in the comments section below this article.
The post “You’re Stuck” – Team Khabib & Islam Makhachev Faced With Dilemma Over Next Fight After Ilia Topuria Rejection appeared first on EssentiallySports.