Islam Makhachev’s Former Opponent Weighs In on Potential Islam vs. Ilia Showdown
Islam Makhachev’s former opponent has given his two cents on a potential Makhachev vs. Ilia Topuria bout.
Topuria vs. Makhachev is a matchup that fans have been craving for a long time. But presently, it still appears to be a long way from becoming a reality, as Topuria is on hiatus and Makhachev has work to do as the newly minted 170-pound kingpin.
Even before vacating his featherweight championship and moving up to lightweight, Topuria has been hunting a fight against Makhachev. However, after Belal Muhammad was dethroned at UFC 315, the Russian fighter chose to vacate and move up. With that, the hopes of ‘El Matador’ fighting Makhachev were axed.
Topuria, on the other hand, grabbed the vacant lightweight championship with a vicious Round 1 KO of Charles Oliveira at UFC 317.
A potential clash between the two two-division UFC champions has captivated much of the MMA community, with both camps openly expressing interest in making the fight happen. Makhachev has stated that he can move down to 155 pounds for this super fight if the UFC comes up with a solid deal. On the other hand, Topuria wants to fight Makhachev at welterweight, dethrone him, and become the first three-division UFC champion.
‘JDM’ thinks Islam Makhachev beats ‘El Matador’
Jack Della Maddalena, who lost his title to Islam Makhachev at UFC 322, recently gave his views on this superfight. ‘JDM’ thinks Makhachev beats Ilia Topuria. However, if the Georgian-Spaniard can keep the fight standing, the bout will be a competitive one. During a recent sitdown with N3on, ‘JDM’ said:
“I think Islam. Ilia is good, I just reckon the size would be a lot. Islam looked big. Ilia is a heavy puncher; if he can keep it on the feet and land punches, it’d be a good fight. It needs to happen.”
Check out Jack Della Maddalena’s comments below:
Jack Della Maddalena also told N3on that he plans on running it back with Islam Makhachev. However, before that, the former champion wants to fight and beat the No. 2-ranked welterweight contender, Shavkat Rakhmonov.
