Islam Makhachev’s team is now considering a fight with Ilia Topuria, only a few months after Makhachev relinquished the lightweight title.
Makhachev left the lightweight division to move up, a decision that came not long after his friend Belal Muhammad lost the welterweight title to Jack Della Maddalena at UFC 315.
At the time, this meant walking away from a possible fight with Ilia Topuria. Topuria later knocked out Charles Oliveira at UFC 317, adding more fuel to the matchup.
Makhachev and his team had been brushing off talk of a fight with Topuria, saying he hadn’t done enough yet to deserve it. But after Topuria’s recent knockout made headlines everywhere, that matchup is back on the table.
Ilia Topuria fight timing for Islam Makhachev is perfect, according to coach Javier Mendez
Back in December, Makhachev’s coach Javier Mendez wasn’t interested in a fight with Topuria, who at the time was considering a move up from featherweight.
But with Topuria now holding the top spot in the UFC’s pound-for-pound rankings, Mendez’s view has shifted.
Speaking to MMA Junkie, Mendez addressed the possibility of facing Topuria again.
“It’s the number one fight. The other one was Jon Jones vs. Tom Aspinall, but right now, if Islam wins, the fight to make is Topuria vs. Islam. I like what [Ilia] has been doing,” said Mendez.
“He’s doing a good job at getting people to want to watch the fight. The more Ilia does, the more people want to see this fight. I like everything he’s doing as a fighter.”
“He’s very strong and doesn’t care about the weight.”
Mendez also touched on why now feels like an ideal moment for a potential clash between Makhachev and Topuria.
“I think that, now, it’s a great fight for us. The first thing Islam wanted was a legacy fight, he wanted the welterweight title.
“Now if we win the welterweight title, we can go down or he can come up. That’s what I say, but it’s not happening if the UFC doesn’t like it. But we need to win first.”
- READ MORE: Reinier de Ridder chooses the easier matchup between Dricus du Plessis and Khamzat Chimaev
Khabib Nurmagomedov has leaked Islam Makhachev’s next fight
Though the promotion hasn’t officially confirmed it yet, Khabib Nurmagomedov recently revealed that Makhachev vs. Maddalena will headline UFC 322 in November at Madison Square Garden. Maddalena wanted to fight in Australia, but Makhachev’s team declined.
The UFC’s got a busy end to 2025 coming up. UFC 320 will have a rematch between Magomed Ankalaev and Alex Pereira, and then at UFC 321, Tom Aspinall will be defending his heavyweight title against Ciryl Gane.
While nothing has been made official yet, an announcement regarding Makhachev vs. Maddalena is expected soon.
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