Islam Makhachev has established himself as one of the best modern-day MMA greats. Ruling the UFC lightweight division, Makhachev is looking unbeatable at the moment. Take his UFC 311 victory, for example. Throughout his fight camp, the Dagestani prepared for Arman Tsarukyan. Unfortunately, with a back injury flaring up for Tsarukyan, he had to make way for Renato Moicano. But that did not peg the champion back.
Fighting on a day’s notice, Makhachev made quick work of the Brazilian. Submitting Moicano in the first round itself, Makhachev made the MMA world respect him even more. Now, detailing his skills as a fighter, a UFC legend made some tall claims that further establish the Dagestani’s dominance. Luke Rockhold had formerly trained with Islam Makhachev. Thus, he does know a thing or two about his prowess.
“I mean, Islam is an amazing f***ing fighter, grappler, everything. But he’s a different level of physicality when it comes to grappling… I’ve wrestled with Charles Oliveira or the Armenian kid [Arman Tsarukyan] or anybody, and be nothing. It’s a tough time with these two guys and it’s always been different, and I just know the levels are different. I knew he’d treat Charles like a little boy, and I knew he’d treat anybody else like a little boy,” said Rockhold to Helen Yee.
Surely, much like Rockhold’s claims, Islam Makhachev has been running through his opponents. However, a threat in the name of Ilia Topuria is lurking in the shadows.
Ilia Topuria Calls Out Islam Makhachev
Ilia Topuria has hinted at his desire to become a two-division champion for a long time. After successfully defending his featherweight belt twice, the Spaniard is now eyeing a matchup with Islam Makhachev. Soon after Makhachev’s UFC 311 victory, Topuria sent him a chilling message.
“Islam, if I want to, I can finish you.if I want to, I can knock you out. I’ll make it look easy. Se you soon,” Topuria wrote on X.
Click on ‘Follow Us’ and get notified of the most viral MMA stories via Google! Follow Us
Islam, if I want to, I can finish you.if I want to, I can knock you out. I'll make it look easy. Se you soon 😉
— Ilia Topuria (@Topuriailia) January 19, 2025
Thus, there is a lot of hype building up for the Topuria vs. Makhachev fight. However, whether the bout will be made public is a matter that can only be confirmed by Dana White. It will thus be interesting to see how things pan out in the future.
