“I hope to make you all happy again on June 28th.” Ilia Topuria recently posted a video on social media after getting recognized by the Community of Madrid and its President with the Grand Cross of the Order of the Second of May. This announcement has further cemented ‘La Leyenda’s presence at the International Fight Week. His opponent? All signs are currently pointing towards the mountains of Dagestan, and Islam Makhachev’s manager also made things spicier with a bold Instagram post. 

The dream superfight’s aroma is now permeating the MMA atmosphere more than ever. The Spanish-Georgian, Ilia Topuria, has been advocating for this bout since his knockout victory over Max Holloway at UFC 308. Now, after a brief period of uncertainty and disapproval, the Dagestani camp is finally making moves.

Khabib Nurmagomedov shared a picture of a bull on his social media, and head coach Javier Mendez, in a Submission Radio interview in February, stated, “He’s not gonna say no [to Ilia]. If that’s who they offer, if that’s who’s on the table for Islam, that’s what Islam’s gonna do. That’s just the way he is, he’s a true warrior.” All of these statements are sending nothing but positive signals. 

As the anticipation for the clash between Islam Makhachev and Ilia Topuria at UFC 317 continues to build, UFC analyst and commentator Laura Sanko has also highlighted the organization’s commitment to making this bout a reality. She stated in a Submission Radio interview, “I think that the UFC really wants Islam (Makhachev) versus (Ilia) Topuria. I think that they will do whatever it takes to make that fight happen. Financially.”

Adding to the intrigue, Makhachev’s manager, Ali Abdelaziz, shared a photo with Islam on social media captioning, “When the King speak everybody have to listen and loudest one in the room is the weakest one in the room.”

The Dominance MMA founder didn’t specify who he meant by “loudest” and “weakest.” But it’s very much looking like the post’s caption targeted the former 145 lbs king, his verbose nature, and the antics he’s been pulling to make this fight happen. That also signifies the preparations for war might be underway at the Makhachev camp as well, and now the fight is just waiting to be announced. This post by Ali has also stirred the pot for the fans, who have let their reactions be known. So let’s find out what MMA netizens are saying.

Fans react to Ali Abdel Aziz’s cryptic Instagram post with Islam Makhachev

“So he gonna fight Topuria? Finally?”  This user started with the ultimate question that everybody is waiting for Dana White to surprisingly appear on social media and announce. But the excitement around this super fight wasn’t enough for another fan, who tagged Ali Abdelaziz and wrote, “They don’t accept the title defense against Topuria, we want to see Makhachev become a double champion.” Obviously, a very compelling option for the current champion.

Any Islam Makhachev post is incomplete without two fan bases verbally proving why their favorite fighter should win. So start with, a user wrote, “Islam by whatever he wants Topuria is like those lil tiny dogs that yap n yap with zero damage”, clearly a dig at ‘La Leyenda’s multiple verbal arrows that he aimed at Islam Makhachev, that a user, who is clearly a Topuria fan, replied with three simple words, “Topuria smash Islam”. 

Another user interestingly commented that the UFC and the Western MMA landscape are pressuring Islam Makhachev to fight Ilia Topuria in a lose-lose situation: “No need to fight Ilia in a lose-lose situation under pressure of UFC and western MMA community who hate Khabib team and want their downfall.” True or not, it was definitely a very different take from the users. Then the usual “Topuria will kill your boy” and “Tempura is going to get folded” also continued. 

As we are enjoying this build-up, it’s also worth noting that we’re only a month and 20 odd days away from the international fight week—without an announcement. Do you think that UFC will declare the super fight soon? Or is there something else at play? Please let your thoughts flow in the comment section below.