Islam Makhachev Reveals Whether He’d Cut to Lightweight for a Superfight with Ilia Topuria
Islam Makhachev responded to numerous inquiries from the media after arriving in Dagestan, one of which was if he would be willing to challenge champion Ilia Topuria at lightweight.
Makhachev vacated his lightweight championship earlier this year in pursuit of welterweight gold and was successful in his campaign. The Russian fighter dominated and dethroned Jack Della Maddalena at UFC 322. The welterweight division is presently stacked with several contenders on the rise. Carlos Prates, Ian Machado Garry, and Michael Morales, among others, want a title shot next.
However, fans want Makhachev to lock horns with Topuria. ‘El Matador,’ who currently holds the 155-pound championship, has not defended it even once so far.
Since Makhachev vs. Topuria has the potential to be the most successful UFC bout to date, the promotion is also interested in making it happen. However, since both fighters are champions in their respective divisions, it is still uncertain if the battle would take place at lightweight or welterweight.
The Georgian-Spaniard has been calling out Makhachev for a long time. The Russian also hasn’t quite ruled out returning to lightweight for the challenge. In a recent interview, he said that if the UFC comes up with a very good offer, he might consider cutting all that weight and fighting Topuria.
“It would have to be a very good offer for me to start cutting back to 155 [pounds]. Because I’m not young in this sport anymore, and every weight cut takes years off your health. It’s not as easy as before to cut weight.”
Check out Islam Makhachev’s comments below:
Islam Makhachev Reaffirms Desire to Compete on UFC’s 2026 White House Card
Islam Makhachev is looking forward to defending his welterweight title for the first time and has expressed interest in being a part of the UFC White House 2026 card. After dethroning Jack Della Maddalena, he said at the octagon interview:
“Open the White House! I am coming!”
Now, after landing in Dagestan, he doubled down on his previous wish:
“The big tournament will be in the White House… Maybe the first and the last. Why not add my name to it?”
Check out Islam Makhachev’s comments below:
