Islam Makhachev’s manager believes Ilia Topuria should prove himself in the lightweight division before earning a title shot.
Topuria recently vacated his UFC featherweight title to move up to 155 pounds, aiming to challenge for the lightweight championship. However, Makhachev, who has already defended his belt four times, including two wins over former featherweight champ Alexander Volkanovski, has previously expressed reluctance to face another former 145-pounder.
And his manager, Rizvan Magomedov, evidently shares that belief.
The Dagestani’s most recent title defense was a quick submission win over Renato Moicano at UFC 311. The fight came about after Arman Tsarukyan withdrew due to injury. Despite this, UFC CEO Dana White has ruled out Tsarukyan for the next title shot, leaving the lightweight title picture up in the air.
Meanwhile, Topuria has had only one previous fight at lightweight, scoring a knockout win over Jai Herbert in 2022, before returning to featherweight, where he eventually won the title. His recent dominance at 145 pounds included consecutive knockout victories over former champions Volkanovski and Max Holloway.
While Topuria is a rising star, Magomedov believes he needs to face and defeat a top lightweight contender before being granted a title fight against Makhachev.
“Topuria vs. Dustin/Charles contender fight, to prove he’s a legit lightweight. So we don’t have to defeat another ‘small featherweight,’” Magomedov stated. “We need big fights that make sense for everyone. We already gave chances to a featherweight champ that was reigning for a long time.”
For now, Makhachev and his team are waiting to see how the division unfolds before making their next move.
