When Ilia Topuria kept calling out Islam Makhachev to fight following his lightweight move, the former champion didn’t really feel as if ‘El Matador’ had done anything as a 155er to get his wish. As such, the Dagestan native decided to make his move to the welterweight division in the quest for a “second belt.” But after Topuria’s explosive win over Charles Oliveira, people aren’t undermining the Georgian-Spanish star anymore. But when it comes to beating Makhachev, his mentor appears to have some doubts.
During a recent interview, Khabib Nurmagomedov made some stunning claims. The 29-0 legend was pretty serious when he dubbed Jack Della Maddalena, the current welterweight champion, as his protégé’s biggest challenge of his MMA career. Nurmagomedov dismissed almost every lightweight fighter in the top 5, including the reigning champion Ilia Topuria.
“I think Maddalena is the toughest opponent in Islam’s career. That’s my opinion. Not Charles [Oliveira], no one else. None of those other fighters,” Khabib Nurmagomedov told Adam Zubayraev. To substantiate his claim, ‘The Eagle’ pointed out the most obvious difference between Ilia Topuria and Jack Della Maddalena, which is their stature.
Well, moving up in weight class will always pose a more challenging bunch of opponents for any fighter, and that’s exactly what Islam Makhachev is facing ahead of his 170lbs title fight, according to his mentor. Moreover, Jack Maddalena has shown great versatility in striking and grappling, which makes him even more challenging for the Dagestan native.
“First of all, Maddalena is twice the size of Ilia [Topuria]. He’s twice as big. Taller, bigger, stronger legs, bigger frame. His boxing is just as good… And in grappling, he scrambles really well, if you’ve watched him,” Islam Makhachev’s mentor added. “For me, if I were preparing Islam for either Ilia or Maddalena, I’d be more concerned, and am more concerned about Maddalena.”
Khabib calls Jack Della Maddalena the toughest opponent of Islam Makhachev’s career.
“I think Jack is the toughest opponent of Islam’s career. If I were preparing Islam for either Ilia or Jack, I’d be more concerned — and I am more concerned — about Jack.”
(via… pic.twitter.com/gw707wx9xp
— Red Corner MMA (@RedCorner_MMA) July 22, 2025
Well, Khabib Nurmagomedov isn’t the only GOAT contender to claim Ilia Topuria is not that big of a threat. In fact, another GOAT contender, who has trained with Team Khabib in the past, also seems to believe that Islam Makhachev is going to be a handful for ‘El Matador’. Here’s what he had to say.
MMA GOAT contender picks Islam Makhachev over Ilia Topuria
Demetrious Johnson has become a pretty successful voice for the sport of MMA following his retirement last year. ‘Mighty Mouse’ is also one of the few former UFC fighters who’ve crossed the million subscribers mark on YouTube. It’s safe to say that his insights are pretty interesting for his viewers, and it was the same when he spoke about a potential Ilia Topuria vs Islam Makhachev fight.
The former 11-time defending flyweight champion believes that Islam Makhachev will be more calculated with his moves than Ilia Topuria. “I think it would be Islam because I think Islam’s gonna approach it differently, it’s hard,” Demetrious Johnson stated on YouTube. “Islam’s a southpaw, so he’s probably gonna throw body kicks and keep his arms busy and keep the distance. Move, feint, maybe use some Judo to take him down and try and get him to the ground and try to submit him.”
Well, Ilia Topuria seems to have a reason why he needs to fight Islam Makhachev now, which is to dismiss all the doubts once again. Dana White loves the idea of that fight, and it will be interesting to see if that is the route the CEO takes after the former lightweight champion’s fight against Jack Della Maddalena. Let us know what you think in the comments down below.
The post Khabib Nurmagomedov Ignites Ilia Topuria Rivalry as Islam Makhachev Warned Before UFC Title Fight appeared first on EssentiallySports.
