Ilia Topuria isn’t talking like a man satisfied with one division anymore. Since Islam Makhachev won the welterweight title, the Spaniard has been circling the idea of a superfight, not as a challenger moving up, but as a man suggesting something the UFC has never done. Fans have been begging for Makhachev vs. Topuria for months, but the weight-class issue is just destroying the momentum.

And that is why ‘El Matador’ is now proposing a solution so big that it has the potential to reshape MMA history. What he told Spanish journalist Álvaro Colmenero wasn’t casual chatter. It was an extraordinary blueprint, one that either sends the Spanish-Georgian to welterweight by next summer or forces the Dana White-led promotion to create a brand-new path altogether.

Ilia Topuria’s proposal for an Islam Makhachev superfight

Ilia Topuria understands that moving up to 170 is an option for him that the promotion would prefer he ignores. So, ‘El Matador’ has agreed to accept one more lightweight fight before making the move.

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“Maybe I’ll have one more fight, and then in the summer there’s a date when [the UFC] can let me move up to welterweight,” Topuria said.

But what if Dana White doesn’t want the lightweight held hostage while Topuria chases Makhachev? Well, the champion has another plan, and that is to create a new title entirely.

“Maybe they’ll create a new belt called the ‘pound-for-pound title’ at a catchweight, and I’ll fight for [it],” he said.

A belt that is not tied to a certain division but symbolizes the best fighter alive, contested at a mutually agreed-upon weight. If this occurs, it will be the first pound-for-pound title fight in UFC history. And the timing is just right. After all, the Dagestani phenom has already stated that he will not return to 155 unless the UFC makes a “very good offer,” citing that he is too far into his career to withstand such extreme cuts again.

As for Ilia Topuria, the UFC would likely not let him move up, and Makhachev will not go down again. So the only territory left is the middle, with a catchweight, a new belt, and a fight that fans will remember for years. If the UFC wants a historic main event for their White House card next summer, this is it. But until then, Ilia Topuria will have to wait for his ‘one fight’ he expects, while Islam Makhachev is giving the UFC a 2-week notice to decide his next fight.

Islam Makhachev places a countdown on Dana White’s desk

Islam Makhachev didn’t drag out the victory lap. Just a week after winning the welterweight title, he was already planning his next move, and he did it by silently setting a deadline for the UFC. Back in Dagestan, he told local reporters that the division now has multiple options, and it is up to Dana White to filter through the noise quickly.

“We have at least three or four contenders now,” he said in his native Russian. “Soon, probably in about two weeks, it will be clear who the next challenger will be.” And while Ian Machado Garry made a huge statement after defeating Belal Muhammad, Makhachev wasn’t fazed at all. “He didn’t surprise me yesterday,” he said. “If he surprised the UFC, then maybe he will be next.”

Makhachev hasn’t shut the door on the Garry bout entirely. But still, he wants the focus to be on the rising stars. ‘The Future’ is young, undefeated, and quickly rising, but the Dagestani is measuring him by what the UFC thinks, not by how well he talks on the mic. So, that’s where Islam Makhachev stands now, committed to nothing, and waiting for the UFC to circle a name before his two-week countdown expires. Whether it be Garry, Ilia Topuria, or someone else entirely? Only time will tell.