Ilia Topuria is seeking a lightweight title fight against Islam Makhachev, but faces opposition. Topuria claims the UFC promised him a title shot if he vacated the featherweight belt, while Makhachev's team, including Khabib Nurmagomedov, believe Topuria should fight for a No. 1 contender spot first.
Taking to X on April 15, Topuria slammed Nurmagomedov's comments that Makhachev should fight another lightweight contender.
Khabib knows I’m the one to take the belt from Islam," Topuria remarked. "Only reason he doesn’t want Islam to fight me."
Khabib knows I’m the one to take the belt from Islam. Only reason he doesn’t want Islam to fight me
— Ilia Topuria (@Topuriailia) April 16, 2025
Ilia Topuria's situation is high-pressure, having officially lost his featherweight title at UFC 314. The rankings panel further demoted him to No. 3, adding urgency to his lightweight debut and potential title push.
It is still anybody's guess regarding whether he will get the title shot against Islam Makahchev or not. Considering he vacated a title, he could break the queue, but as per the stance of the current king, it is unlikely.
Ilia Topuria is one of the most exciting fighters in the UFC currently. He is undefeated at 16-0 and with an arrival at the Lightweight space he has expanded his horizons even further. Topuria is a big match-up in the current landscape and even if he does not get the nod to fight for the title straight away, he will still headline a ppv show. An announcement on the same is expected to come out soon.