Exclusive: Ilia Topuria says Islam Makhachev not yet big enough for him but is impressed with "showman" Sean O'Malley
Ilia Topuria already has his distant future mapped out. While talking to Sportskeeda MMA, the UFC featherweight champion touched on the potential of facing either Islam Makhachev or Sean O'Malley in a champion vs. champion matchup. In a shocking revelation, he expressed little interest in facing Makhachev.
Despite the Dagestani phenom's vice-grip on the lightweight title, the prospect of becoming a two-division champion isn't enough for Topuria to consider Makhachev a viable option. According to him, Makhachev is not yet the star he needs him to be.
"Maybe in the future... Maybe [if] he keeps defending the belt and keeps becoming bigger and bigger and bigger, maybe one day we can have that fight, but for the moment, he's not in my list."
Makhachev, to his credit, has headlined three UFC pay-per-views, two of which as a defending champion, and has become the promotion's go-to main event option for Middle Eastern cards. Moreover, he is scheduled to headline his fourth consecutive pay-per-view come UFC 302, where he faces Dustin Poirier.
However, when the topic of O'Malley was brought up, the Spanish star was more complimentary.
"I'm impressed. He's doing an amazing job. He's becoming bigger and bigger in this sport. He's a big star in the United States. Even as a fighter, I like his fight style, his movements. He's a showman."
There is still no confirmation on whether 'El Matador' will face Max Holloway in his first featherweight title defense. The two men have clashed over whether Holloway will put his BMF belt on the line. However, if Topuria manages to retain the 145-pound strap, a matchup with O'Malley appears to be in the near future.
O'Malley, meanwhile, is coming off a successful bantamweight title defense against Marlon 'Chito' Vera, avenging a prior loss—the only one of his professional career. He is expected to face Merab Dvalishvili next.
Ilia Topuria has changed his view on fighting Islam Makhachev
Before Max Holloway had enthroned himself as the undisputed top contender for Ilia Topuria's featherweight title, the Spaniard pursued other bouts. He notably set his sights on facing Conor McGregor. However, another lightweight, Islam Makhachev, was also on his radar.
The Dagestani is the current UFC lightweight champion, and Topuria seemed ready to become the next featherweight champion to challenge him for 155-pound gold. However, he has since reconsidered and has now focused his attention elsewhere.
Makhachev was recently asked about a potential champion vs. champion bout against Topuria. He highlighted that after giving two title shots to former 145-pound champion Alexander Volkanovski, he's now looking to fight only lightweights. He added that Topuria has a daunting challenge ahead of him: beating unbeaten Russian featherweight Movsar Evloev.