Despite some hurdles, big fights in the UFC often feel inevitable. Champions collide, weight classes blur, and the fans get the matchups they crave. But sometimes, the fight that seems destined never comes together. That might be the case with Islam Makhachev vs. Ilia Topuria.

On paper, it’s a dream bout. In reality? It may never happen. And the reason? According to Chael Sonnen, it’s what happened between Dana White and BJ Penn in a courtroom two decades ago!

Speaking on his YouTube channel, Sonnen explained, “The way the story goes, and I believe this to be completely correct, but the way the story goes is when Dana accepted Ilia’s phone call, and Dana does not like when guys walk away from the belt, there’s an entire history on that that dates back to a Las Vegas courtroom in roughly, 2006. With Dana on one side and BJ Penn on the other.”

Let’s pause here for a moment. In 2004, BJ Penn shocked the world by beating Matt Hughes for the UFC welterweight title. But instead of defending the belt, Penn signed with Japan’s K-1 promotion. The UFC stripped him of the title, Penn sued, and a messy court battle followed. Though the case eventually settled, the split left a scar.

Dana White saw it as betrayal. And if Sonnen is right, that memory still shapes how the UFC boss handles champions today, as he further stated in his recent video, “I’m just sharing with you, he does not like… when Josh Barnett returned for the championship that he never lost, he never got that opportunity again. I can tell you, as many times as you want to do this, Dana does not like when somebody walks away from the belt.”

So, how does it connect to Islam Makhachev and Ilia Topuria? At the start of 2025, fans salivated over the idea of then-featherweight champ Topuria against lightweight champ Makhachev. Then things shifted. Makhachev gave up his 155-pound strap to chase gold at 170 against Jack Della Maddalena.

Topuria slid in, beat Charles Oliveira, and grabbed the now-vacant lightweight belt. Suddenly, that dream clash vanished. However, there may be light on the horizon as the Dagestani juggernaut has now confessed that, despite Chael Sonnen’s proclamation, he’d still be interested in a “superfight” against ‘El Matador’!

Islam Makhachev shares a sign of hope for the fans as he confirms interest in “superfight” against Ilia Topuria

Just when fans thought they had lost Islam Makhachev vs. Ilia Topuria forever, the former lightweight king has thrown them a lifeline. Despite moving up to welterweight and handing over his lightweight belt, Islam Makhachev insists he hasn’t completely abandoned the idea of locking horns with Topuria.

Speaking at a press conference, Makhachev acknowledged the buzz surrounding the matchup as he stated, “I can’t say for sure. There’s some intrigue with Topuria. I’m also interested in that fight. Maybe it will be possible to make some kind of superfight.”

Those words will be music to the ears of fans who were convinced the bout had been buried. For now, Makhachev’s eyes are locked on Jack Della Maddalena and the welterweight crown. Topuria, for his part, has also teased the idea of following Makhachev up to 170 pounds. While he admitted he promised UFC brass to defend his new lightweight belt for a stretch, he left the door cracked for a future jump in weight.

As such, that promise might actually align perfectly with Makhachev’s own uncertainty about whether he’ll ever return to lightweight, as he shared, “Now, I’ll see how much I gain after the fight. If after the fight, in a month my weight is the same, then we can talk about it. If [the weight increases] and it was not easy anyway, I think we will have to sit down with the team to talk.”

If Chael Sonnen is right, the BJ Penn saga still casts a shadow nearly twenty years later. Walking away from a belt may be unforgivable in White’s eyes, and that could be the barrier between Islam Makhachev and Ilia Topuria ever sharing the Octagon. Still, MMA is unpredictable. Makhachev hasn’t ruled out the superfight. Topuria hasn’t stopped teasing a move to 170. Now the question becomes, will Dana White let the ghosts of his past haunt the future? Let us know your thoughts in the comments below!