When UFC President Dana White recently announced that Ilia Topuria would be vacating his featherweight title and moving up to 155 pounds, the idea of a potential superfight against dominant lightweight champion Islam Makhachev had UFC fans everywhere licking their lips.
Topuria (16-0 MMA, 8-0 UFC) officially relinquished his 145-pound belt last week when Alexander Volkanovski defeated Diego Lopes at UFC 314. However, the UFC has yet to announce a potential matchup between "La Leyenda" and Makhachev (29-1 MMA, 16-1 UFC).
Makhachev's coach and mentor, former UFC lightweight champion Khabib Nurmagomedov, offered some clarity on the situation last week. "The Eagle" revealed that Makhachev has his sights set on the 170-pound title but is eagerly awaiting the outcome of the upcoming welterweight title fight between his training partner Belal Muhammad (24-3 MMA, 15-3 UFC) and Jack Della Maddalena (17-2 MMA, 7-0 UFC) at UFC 315 next month.
“If Maddalena was the champion, Islam would fight him for sure", Nurmagomedov told adam Zubayraev during an interview on his YouTube channel. "As far as I see it, the UFC are waiting for the event in May where Belal and Maddalena are set to fight each other. I really want with all my heart Belal to win, but if Maddalena wins, I think the UFC may offer Islam this fight for the title at 170.”
With the possibility of Makhachev moving up to compete in the welterweight division looking more and more likely, the question now is whether that would lead to him vacating—or being stripped of—his 155-pound title.
UFC color commentator Michael Bisping doesn’t believe there’s any risk of the UFC taking Makhachev’s belt away.
“Ilia Topuria vs. Islam Makhachev, that should be the fight”, Bisping said this week in a video posted to his YouTube channel. “If that doesn't happen, if Islam sticks to his guns, if he was to say,’ no, I'm not doing that, I refuse, okay, and if anything, I want to fight the winner of Jack de la Madalena vs. Bilal Muhammad’. If he was to do that, because he is such a great champion, because he has taken short notice fights, because he's the most successful lightweight on planet Earth in the history of the sport. There ain't going to be any crazy talks of stripping Islam Makhachev. That just isn't going to happen.”
