Ilia Topuria taunts Islam Makhachev with KO video, fans react - "I’m already ready for this dude to lose"
Ilia Topuria recently stirred the pot by teasing Islam Makhachev with a video of his knockout loss.
The saga unfolded when a counterfeit X account, masquerading as the reigning UFC lightweight champion, made waves by claiming to face 'El Matador' after defending his title against Justin Gaethje on June 8.
Despite the fictitious nature of the assertions, the post swiftly spread like wildfire across social media platforms, catching Topuria's attention in the process.
Apparently oblivious to the deceptive post, the newly minted featherweight champion later vented on Instagram stories, launching a counterattack against the Dagestani fighter. He shared a video capturing Makhachev's sole career setback – a first-round knockout suffered at the hands of Adriano Martins during UFC 192 in 2015. He wrote:
"The boy is cutting you off 😆"
Check out Ilia Topuria's post below (translated by Instagram):
Fans responded to Topuria's jab at Makhachev with a variety of reactions.
One fan wrote:
"Islam by whatever he wants. I will stand on this until it happens."
Another wrote:
"Islam's a bad matchup for Ilia."
Check out some more reactions below:
"I’m already ready for this dude to lose lol."
"Islam will kill him, look out, what what you ask for Georgia"
'El Matador' is riding high after his second-round KO victory over Alexander Volkanovski in the headline bout of UFC 298. During a recent interview with Eurosport (Espanol), he unveiled his plans for upcoming fights, targeting showdowns against Conor McGregor, Max Holloway, and Sean O'Malley before setting his sights on Makhachev to claim the UFC's pound-for-pound throne.
Sean O'Malley anticipates "unrealistic" Ilia Topuria vs. Conor McGregor welterweight battle
Sean O'Malley recently examined a hypothetical welterweight showdown featuring Ilia Topuria and Conor McGregor.
Despite being absent from competition for nearly three years, 'The Notorious' continues to loom large in the thoughts of those in the sport. Topuria has previously expressed his desire for a potential bout against the former two-division champion.
During the UFC 298 post-fight press conference, 'El Matador' reiterated his fight goals and affirmed his willingness to face McGregor in any weight division.
Check out Ilia Topuria's comments below:
In a recent episode of his TimboSugarShow podcast, O'Malley analyzed Topuria's remarks and discussed a theoretical matchup between the Spaniard and McGregor at 170 pounds:
"I feel like it's so unrealistic. I would think Conor, but it is hard to say, I think we gotta see them next to each other. There's a reason for weight classes. Ilia is not big, he's f**king scary, but he's not big."
Check out Sean O'Malley's comments below: