After securing a dominant victory over Michael Chandler at UFC 309 and getting back in the win column, Charles Oliveira made one thing clear: the only way for him is up! Moreover, the Brazilian was most likely up for a rematch with Islam Makhachev’s UFC 311 title defense. However, the MMA world wasted no time speculating on his next big challenge which came as a genuine surprise for many—bringing Ilia Topuria into the conversation as he moved up to 155lbs in pursuit of a second strap. However, Oliveira remained unfazed, dismissing a potential fight with the soon-to-be former 145lbs champ as “not a big fight.”

As expected, Topuria didn’t let that slide, and he responded in a way only he could—on a public stage. It is safe to say that ‘Le Leyenda’ has cemented himself as one of Spain’s biggest sporting stars, recently receiving a prestigious honor from the Mayor of Toledo, Spain. Having moved to Spain at a young age, the Spanish-Georgian not only built his career there but also played a crucial role in putting Spanish MMA on the global map. Now, in a major tribute to his impact, the city has unveiled a street named in his honor: Paseo Ilia Topuria.

During the ceremony, while addressing the crowd, a reporter mentioned Oliveira’s dismissive remarks, asking Topuria if he was willing to “walk” with the Brazilian star. In true Topuria fashion, he fired back with a sharp and humorous response, suggesting that the former 155lbs champ must have been living under a rock if he hadn’t noticed the headlines Topuria has been making lately.

“Take a walk with Charles Oliveira? Well, actually, yes. To educate him, sure. To give it a little culture and teach and give you some teaching, sure,” Ilia Topuria told a reporter from ‘Marca’. “Because it is clear that he hasn’t even read a sheet of a newspaper. So, good.”

However, Ilia Topuria isn’t all about fighting all the time and decided not to bring up the fighting business during such an auspicious event. “Another question, please, because this occasion is not worth talking about someone like him here,” the 28-year-old added.

Well, this is not his first response to Oliveira because Topuria had already burned his Brazilian counterpart with a tweet from a couple of days ago. He not only flaunted his undefeated record but also called himself the “father” of the lightweight division. While Oliveira is yet to respond to Topuria’s latest counterattack, the former lightweight champ did issue a response to Topuria’s prior comments.

Not Ilia Topuria, Charles Oliveira wants Islam Makhachev in June

Islam Makhachev, after his last fight, mentioned that a return in June is possible. Having dismissed Ilia Topuria as an opponent for his next title defense, the 33-year-old received another challenge in the form of Charles Oliveira, who offered him to fight during International Fight Week, claiming that he’s got all the accolades to qualify as the #1 contender. “The UFC and MMA have a lot of guys who talk a big game. I can talk because I’ve been here for almost 15 years. I’m the bonus king, submission master, the record-breaker. That’s me,” Oliveira said in a video he posted on social media.

“I want to fight during International Fight Week – [Islam] Makhachev two. Dana [White], Sean Shelby, Hunter [Campbell], let’s make this happen,” Charles Oliveira added. But in the meantime, some UFC analysts have taken sides with Topuria, claiming that the UFC has a potential star in their hands. Backing the Georgian-Spaniard, UFC vet Matt Brown said, “I say give the opportunity to Ilia. Go see if it works for him. If it does, then you have an even more ginormous star in Ilia,” to ‘MMA Fighting’.

Well, Dana White appears to have a big decision at hand. There are way too many stars in the lightweight division, with everybody making a case for their admission into a title fight. Let us know who you think deserves a title shot. But moving over to Ilia Topuria, do you think fighting Charles Oliveira is the right choice for his lightweight return? Drop your comments below.