UFC star Ilia Topuria has claimed that he could move to welterweight in order to hunt down a fight with Islam Makhachev.
As we know, Ilia Topuria is an absolute superstar in the world of mixed martial arts. As he prepares to shift his focus to the lightweight division, many are disappointed that he won’t be fighting Islam Makhachev for the belt. Islam has decided to make the shift up to welterweight and chase a second belt of his own, whereas Ilia will focus on trying to defeat Charles Oliveira in the main event of UFC 317 next week.
For Ilia Topuria, it’s all about chasing greatness. That often means taking on challenges that many think are impossible, but in a recent interview, ‘El Matador’ made it known that a collision with Islam Makhachev would be right up his street.
Ilia Topuria still wants Islam Makhachev fight
“To be honest, I wanted to face (Makhachev) because he was the guy who was dominating anyone and everyone (at lightweight),” Topuria said Friday at a media scrum ahead of an open workout in Las Vegas. “But at the end of the day, I can’t control what they do. The only thing I can control is what I do. So I wanted to move up, I wanted to fight for the title of this division. That’s what I’m doing. He decided to move up also. I can’t do anything else but go and fight whoever wants to fight me.”
“We’ll see how he does in the welterweight division, if he wins the title and I win the title in the lightweight division. Maybe I move up or he comes down to the lightweight division and we have the fight that everyone wants to see,” Topuria said.
“… If Islam becomes the world welterweight champion, for sure I’m going to push for that shot and I will move to the welterweight division.”
Quotes via MMA Junkie
