Most fans would be aware that Islam Makhachev has voiced his reason behind refusing a fight against Ilia Topuria. The Dagestani wants ‘La Leyenda’ to prove his worth at 155lbs by fighting a top contender. Moreover, ‘Team Makhachev’ doesn’t really wish to pit the champ against yet another “small guy.” Having fought Alexander Volkanovski twice in the past, the lightweight champion’s reason may have sounded legitimate to his fans. But recently, reports emerged that Makhachev’s mentor, Khabib Nurmagomedov, has played a part in it. However, it seems like ‘The Eagle’ may not succeed in his attempts, judging by what Brendan Schaub had to say about the potential Makhachev-Topuria 155-pound clash. But, let’s get the context clear first!
Former double champion, Henry Cejudo, who’s close to Khabib Nurmagomedov and his team, gave an interesting scoop when it came to Islam Makhachev’s refusal to fight Ilia Topuria. ‘Triple C’ claimed that it’s not the lightweight champion who’s hesitant to fight ‘La Leyenda’, it’s ‘The Eagle’ who’s apparently ‘blocking’ the fight. The reason behind it? Well, Nurmagomedov, pretty much like other lightweight contenders, is not sold on the fact that Topuria has made his case for a title shot. “I don’t even think it’s gonna be Islam’s choice. I think Khabib’s gonna step in and be like, ‘He needs to fight the number one contender.’ If Ilia does beat the number one contender, then sure,” Cejudo told famed journalist Mike Bohn.
But this is where a former heavyweight fighter decided to step in and remind Makhachev that there’s one thing he needs to take into account. Schaub claimed that Ilia Topuria, with a sound mind, would never give up his featherweight title if there was no incentive to move to the 155-pound weight class. Hence, he believes that the common understanding between the Georgian-Spanish star and Dana White is that a possible title fight awaits him in the lightweight division, whether Makhachev remains the champ or not. This could be true because Topuria had also claimed, after dropping the 145lbs belt, that the UFC ‘promised’ him a championship scrap.
“If you think Topuria is leaving 145 [pounds] to go up to ’55 and lose out on PPV points, you’re dumb… There’s no way his team would allow him to do that. It’s the fight business… Guarantee you the UFC was like. ‘All right. If you go up, we guarantee you a title shot,’” Brendan Schaub on his self-titled YouTube show. “Makhachev can say whatever he wants. He doesn’t call the shots. I know he’s the champ, [but] it doesn’t matter. If Makhachev refuses to fight Topuria, that means Makhachev is just going up to 170, but Topuria’s fight is going to be for the belt.”
Schaub further stressed the PPV points issue, for which flyweight great Demetrious Johnson once fought during his tenure in the UFC. And why wouldn’t he? The fighters get a share of the overall share of revenue from PPV buys after all. And given how big of a star Ilia Topuria is, losing PPV points could see him lose millions. “Whether Makhachev goes up, so it is for the vacant belt, but either way, he’s [Topuria] either fighting Makhachev for the belt, or he’s fighting for the vacant belt. Period. There’s no way he’d just leave ’45 and abandon the PPV points, which is impossible to get… you’re talking a 7-figure pay cut, just to go up to ’55… He’s not that dumb,” the former UFC fighter added.
MMA: UFC 280-Oliveira vs Makhachev Oct 22, 2022, Abu Dhabi, UAE Islam Makhachev blue gloves defeats Charles Oliveira red gloves during UFC 280 at Etihad Arena. Abu Dhabi UAE, EDITORIAL USE ONLY PUBLICATIONxINxGERxSUIxAUTxONLY Copyright: xCraigxKidwellx 20221022_jla_ooo_489
Meanwhile, there have been discussions about other potential contenders for Islam Makhachev’s lightweight title. His former teammate and UFC Hall of Famer Daniel Cormier also chimed in on the conversation, and his pick won’t be too surprising for the UFC fans.
Daniel Cormier picks Islam Makhachev’s next opponent, but it’s not Ilia Topuria
Yes, Daniel Cormier‘s analysis doesn’t have Ilia Topuria fighting Islam Makhachev for the belt, even though the soon-to-be former featherweight champion has claimed otherwise. ‘DC’ pick for the Dagestan native’s fifth title defense is former BMF champion, Justin Gaethje. The former dual-weight champion claimed that, given how popular ‘The Highlight’ is among the fans, he’s going to be an excellent addition to Makhachev’s resume. In fact, he has urged the lightweight champion to push for a fight against Gaethje.
“I honestly believe that’s who is going to fight for the belt. I believe it’s going to be Gaethje. If I’m team Makhachev, I’m asking for Justin Gaethje because that’s a big-name fight,” Daniel Cormier stated in a video on his YouTube channel. “It’s the guy that carries a lot of name recognition. I think that’s going to be the fight if I’m being honest with you.” There’s no doubt that a Makhachev vs. Justin Gaethje would be a banger of a clash, but could that end up with Dana White breaking his alleged promise to Ilia Topuria? That remains to be seen.
Dana White could introduce an interim title like he has for Tom Aspinall to keep his alleged promise to Ilia Topuria. That could be a possibility, but we’ll be getting all our answers in the days and months to come. In the meantime, let us know your thoughts in the comments down below.
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