“There’s still other possibilities. There’s a lot of s–t going on right now, otherwise, I would’ve said.” Dana White stated at the UFC Seattle post-fight presser after Ilia Topuria announced that his days ruling the 145lbs division were numbered and that he was ready to test the shark-infested waters of lightweight. This created a massive way of excitement among the fighting world to witness ‘La Leyenda’ locked inside the Octagon against the 155lbs god-king Islam Makhachev as soon as possible. However, recent doubts and the Dagestani’s reservations about granting Topuria an immediate shot have just increased the degree of uncertainty about the trajectory of the soon-to-be former featherweight champion.
Listen to this, the top 7 ranked 155fers don’t have a fight booked at this moment! And this doesn’t even include Topuria. However, it is safe to say that ‘La Leyenda’ is not shying away from potential top dogs including Charles Oliveira, even going so far as to engage with ‘Do Bronx’ in a full-on social media squabble. However, Topuria also shockingly revived the chances of the super-fight at a WOW 17 event in Madrid that the UFC has promised him a title shot next, “The UFC promised me I’d fight for the belt.”
The UFC has yet to clarify anything after Topuria made his claims. This has led many experts to suggest that there might be something that’s not fitting right surrounding this issue. Enter verbose analyst Chael Sonnen who has indicated that Topuria might have misinterpreted the communication with UFC and believes that he has not been promised a title shot in his 155lbs debut.
Sonnen, on the Good Guy / Bad Guy Podcast with co-host Daniel Cormier said, “I do question if he understood that promise correctly. At least let me tell you the score. The score is he’s calling up with the news they don’t want. He’s caught up with the news that I’m gonna vacate and leave my title. Now at the UFC, that’s a massive sin…I mean that’s a big deal to walk away from the belt. So, Ilia is gonna call up and he’s gonna make this, the other side doesn’t have to promise anything. The other side wasn’t given the news. The other side isn’t getting something that they want. So he says ‘I’m gonna give up the belt and I’m never returning and they say, ‘If you do that, we’ll promise to give you a title shot at 155’. Why would they need to make a promise?’”
‘The Bad Guy’ added, “You know the headlines love to say he has vacated it. If you didn’t read that word, you just read about it, it sounds like he has been stripped. You take a guy’s belt away, you’re gonna contest for it and you don’t give him something else to do. You just made him unemployed. I’ll play along! I get that the word is gonna be vacate but vacate and stripped are both incorrect per the rules. He’s the champion of the world right now. He’s champion of the world until the bell rings on Saturday night [UFC 314] for what they’re calling the vacant title fight.”
Sonnen finally concluded, “So, I’m just sharing with you it would be very strange when you have an opportunity to have a double champ- champ status. Do all this weird stuff for marketing. You pass on that, you wait till he doesn’t have the belt and take your own marketing angle away. And then you book the fight that he asked for anyway? I think there was something misunderstood in that phone call. I don’t think he was promised the belt.”
MMA: UFC Fight Night-Herbert vs Topuria, Mar 19, 2022, London, UK Ilia Topuria blue gloves defeats Jai Herbert red gloves during UFC Fight Night at O2 Arena. Mandatory Credit: Per Haljestam-USA TODAY Sports, 19.03.2022 21:33:51, 17930803, UFC Fight Night, MMA PUBLICATIONxINxGERxSUIxAUTxONLY Copyright: xPerxHaljestamx 17930803
‘The American Gangster’ makes a valid point here. If Topuria had received a call from the UFC, we would likely have had confirmation by now regarding the super-fight during International Fight Week or any upcoming PPV. It seems that discussions likely involved a title shot, but the conclusion reached might be one that we are still unaware of. With the recent accidental leak on the Spanish broadcast of UFC Vegas 105 revealing that the Georgian-Spaniard is set to fight Oliveira next, the chances of the super-fight happening seem to decrease with each passing day.
Topuria initially faced difficulties in finding a suitable opponent for his return. He openly expressed that other lightweights were afraid to fight him. However, there is another adversary he had considered fighting a few years ago, and since they are now in the same division, this matchup has every chance to become a possibility.
Paddy Pimblett is eying Ilia Topuria for his 155lbs title defense in 2026
Paddy Pimblett and Ilia Topuria have a history of keeping animosity for each other. They confronted each other in a UFC Hotel in 2022. Famously, the Scouser threw a sanitizer bottle at the Spaniard Georgian in a heated battle of curses and that ignited beef that may get ignited once again as they are both lightweights now.
‘The Baddy’ will face Michael Chandler next at UFC 314 and he’s already planning to quickly finish his opponent. The Englishman aspires to hold the title this year. Moreover, he believes he can take on the soon-to-be former featherweight champion Ilia Topuria in 2026. Paddy said in the FullSend podcast:
“Obviously I don’t look past the opponent. But, I beat Michael Chandler, and finish Michael Chandler in two. And then I gotta fight someone like Charles Oliveira in Abu Dhabi. Charles or Justin. Dustin is gonna be retired by then. Or even Arman, but I think he’ll have a fight by then. Once I beat them and fight for a title in 2026. That’s my road now, that’s the path I’m gonna follow.”
When asked if he would like to fight Topuria for the gold, the verbose Liverpudlian said, “No, I don’t want him to be champ. I don’t want him to be champ at all. F—k that midget. I’d rather win the belt, then he can fight me for the title when I got it. And then I’ll have my first defense smashing his little teeth in.”
Do you think Ilia Topuria vs Islam Makhachev fight is in jeopardy? Let us know in the comment section below!
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