Topuria’s ‘archiene’ rules out that he fights with Makhachev: “It’s not McGregor”

The second quarter of 2025 promises to be very large for mixed martial arts fans (MMA). Two of the most competitive and media divisions of the UFC, the largest league of this sport, will see how their world titles are put into play. While the negotiations are underway, as ABC has been counting for weeks, there are two fights that are working from the American company. On the one hand, in the pen weight, Ilia Topuria intends to abandon the division, since she considers that she has no bigger things to do after having knocked out the two maximum legends: Alexander Volkanovski and Max Holloway.

If that movement ends up completing, the clear path would be so that Volkanovski himself, who waits for his opportunity since he was defeated by the Hispanic-Georgian a year ago, and Diego Lopes, the Brazilian contender on the rise, ascent, The throne that the killer would leave could be disputed When running your rise to light weight, a higher weight category. Specifically, it is working for this lawsuit to be held on the UFC 314 billboard, which will take place in Miami (Florida), on April 12.

For its part, from the Topuria representation team is insisting that the fight to be performed is the titular shot of the light, whose monarch is the pupil of Khabib Nurmagomedov, Islam Makhachev. The Russian fighter successfully defended his title in January, and said he wants to return at UFC 317, during the International Figh Week in Las Vegas, which will take place on June 28. That is where he wants to assault the throne of the light topuria, something that, for one of his greatest enemies inside the sport, Paddy Pimblett, will not end up happening.

«I can’t imagine Ilia fighting Islam. He has only defended the belt once … It is not a star as big as to jump without more, it is not McGregor, ”he said recently in the ‘Liverpool Echo’ podcast. In this way, the English fighter, who is part of the top 15 of the lightweight division, thinks that Topuria will have to make some prior fight to deserve the opportunity to face Makhachev, who has defended his world title four times. Be that as it may, the UFC is aware that the Topuria vs Makhachev is one of the largest fights it can perform today and, most likely, ends up closing this lawsuit.