Ilia Topuria, the reigning UFC lightweight champion, has once again publicly stated his belief that former titleholder Islam Makhachev is actively avoiding a potential fight against him.
Addressing his intentions, Topuria said:
“My true objective has always been Islam. However, since he opted to avoid me, my next opponent became Charles [Oliveira].”
Topuria further commented on Makhachev`s apparent consideration of moving up a weight class:
“Honestly, I think Makhachev made a smart choice by considering a move to welterweight instead of defending against me at lightweight. If the UFC had proposed a fight against Justin Gaethje, he would have likely remained in the lightweight division. But when I moved up from featherweight, Islam`s reaction was different. He essentially signaled, `I don`t want to take too much risk, so I`ll go up to welterweight and pursue another belt.` Makhachev is aware of my threat and knows I possess the ability to knock him out. Even Khabib understands this.”
As a reminder, Topuria recently secured the vacant lightweight title (up to 70 kg) in late June by defeating Charles Oliveira via knockout.