Ilia Topuria on Islam Makhachev superfight, Sean Strickland's chaotic cage-side attack, Alexandre Pantoja torches UFC P4P rankings: MMA News Roundup
Welcome to today's edition of Sportskeeda MMA News Roundup! Ilia Topuria offered his take on a potential superfight with Islam Makhachev. Meanwhile, Sean Strickland exploded in a post-fight melee that left fans stunned. And Alexandre Pantoja made it clear that he’s tired of being overlooked in the pound-for-pound conversation. Let's break them all down:
Ilia Topuria throws cold water on Islam Makhachev superfight
Fresh off his first-round demolition of Charles Oliveira at UFC 317, Ilia Topuria offered his take on a potential clash with Islam Makhachev.
Speaking in an interview with ESPN MMA, Topuria said he doesn’t believe the fight will happen. Despite calling it a dream matchup and expressing zero hesitation to take it, he said he’d be surprised if the UFC called him for it. He said:
"Realistically, from all the conversations I had with the UFC and how the situation has been involved during the whole process, I don’t think that fight is going to happen. I will be surprised if I get the call and they’re gonna tell me, like, I want to fight against Islam, which I would love to do. No problem!"
He added:
"This is competition, you know. I’m not going to lose my life inside that octagon, so I’m ready for whoever. I know that I’m very, very dangerous, and whoever is ready for me, I will be here as always... Hopefully, [Makhachev fight is an option]. Why not? If the UFC wants to make that fight happen, they’re going to make that happen. But I don’t know if they want to make it happen. If so, I’m going to be ready."
Check out Ilia Topuria's comments below (7:00):
Sean Strickland storms cage and punches fighter after teammate’s loss
Sean Strickland was cornering teammate Miles Hunsinger at Tuff-N-Uff 145 when chaos broke loose. Hunsinger lost via guillotine choke, and his opponent, Luis Hernandez, made things personal by taunting Strickland’s corner with crotch gestures and a middle finger.
That was enough to trigger Strickland. He and Chris Curtis stormed the cage, with Strickland throwing two clean punches at Hernandez. Strickland later took to X to offer his side of the story, writing:
"I wasn't even vocal in the corner. The guy just wanted to antagonize me for a highlight... What frustrates me is [that] even during the fight, he was insulting me. The athletic commission's job is to prevent this from happening. There was no warning. No penalty. They tell Merab [Dvalishvili] to shut up all the time.. Even the announcers were calling it."
Check out Sean Strickland's X posts below:
Alexandre Pantoja rages over UFC rankings disrespect
Alexandre Pantoja torched the UFC’s pound-for-pound rankings at the UFC 317 post-fight presser after a dominant win against Kai-Kara France. Despite an eight-fight win streak and five consecutive main card appearances, Pantoja sits well behind fighters like Jack Della Maddalena.
He name-dropped Islam Makhachev as the only fighter ranked above him with justifiable numbers. For everyone else, he said, the math doesn’t check out. He said:
"I'm just behind Islam Makhachev. [My ranking] doesn't make sense. Five fights for title, eight victories in streak, numbers don't lie, brother. The only guy I accept is Islam Makhachev because he has numbers... You put Jack [Della] Maddalena above me? You think I need to beat Jack Maddalena to get his position? It's time to respect flyweights."
Check out Alexandre Pantoja's comments below (13:00):