Ilia Topuria kept challenging, but Islam Makhachev had something else in his mind entirely. Never one to think that ‘El Matador’ had done anything as a 155er to get a fighting chance, the Dagestan native took his interest to the welterweight division, instead, looking for a “second belt”. However, Topuria was not one to be undermined, as he pulled off a spectacular first-round knockout win over Charles Oliveira, becoming a lightweight champion at UFC 317 and extending his unbeaten run to 17. “Ilia Topuria is the UFC’s biggest superstar in the world right now,” Henry Cejudo stated. And Topuria? His message was clear, too.

In the aftermath of the June fight, the 33-year-old used the post-fight conversation as the perfect opportunity to throw some shade. “Sad” was the only word he used when describing how he never wanted to fight Oliveira. “My real goal always was Islam, but since he decided to run away, it has to be Charles.” Furthermore, Topuria also stated in an open dig that Makachev perhaps moved to 170 because he “knows that I’m going to put him to sleep”. The rivalry only deepened now that Makhachev’s mentor Khabib Nurmagomedov decided to enter the picture.

As per a tweet by Red Corner MMA on July 21, longest reigning UFC Lightweight champion sat down for a conversation with journalist Adam Zubayraev. “I think Maddalena is the toughest opponent in Islam’s career. That’s my opinion. Not Charles [Oliveira], no one else. None of those other fighters,” the retired icon began. To this, the host questioned, “Not even Ilia, if that were to happen?” To substantiate his claim, ‘The Eagle’ pointed out the most obvious difference between Ilia Topuria and Jack Della Maddalena, which is their stature.

“First of all, Maddalena is twice the size of Ilia [Topuria]. He’s twice as big. Taller, bigger, stronger legs, bigger frame. His boxing is just as good… And in grappling, he scrambles really well, if you’ve watched him,” Islam Makhachev’s mentor added. “For me, if I were preparing Islam for either Ilia or Maddalena, I’d be more concerned, and am more concerned about Maddalena.” But is Topuria deterred? Most likely not.

“Ideally, I would love to see Islam getting the title and the UFC letting me go up to 170 and getting the third belt,” the fighter said after defeating Oliveira.

Interestingly, Khabib Nurmagomedov isn’t the only GOAT contender to claim Ilia Topuria is not that big of a threat. In fact, another GOAT contender, who has trained with Team Khabib in the past, also seems to believe that Islam Makhachev is going to be a handful for ‘El Matador’.

MMA GOAT contender picks Islam Makhachev over Ilia Topuria

Demetrious Johnson has become a pretty successful voice for the sport of MMA following his retirement last year. ‘Mighty Mouse’ is also one of the few former UFC fighters who’ve crossed the million subscribers mark on YouTube. It’s safe to say that his insights are pretty interesting for his viewers, and it was the same when he spoke about a potential Ilia Topuria vs Islam Makhachev fight.

The former 11-time defending flyweight champion believes that Islam Makhachev will be more calculated with his moves than Ilia Topuria. “I think it would be Islam because I think Islam’s gonna approach it differently, it’s hard,” Demetrious Johnson stated on YouTube. “Islam’s a southpaw, so he’s probably gonna throw body kicks and keep his arms busy and keep the distance. Move, feint, maybe use some Judo to take him down and try and get him to the ground and try to submit him.”

Well, Ilia Topuria seems to have a reason why he needs to fight Islam Makhachev now, which is to dismiss all the doubts once again. Dana White loves the idea of that fight, and it will be interesting to see if that is the route the CEO takes after the former lightweight champion’s fight against Jack Della Maddalena. Let us know what you think in the comments down below.