Is Ilia Topuria the biggest villain in combat sports history, dethroning even the legendary 2009-era Randy Orton? Dubbed ‘The Legend Killer’ by the MMA world, ‘El Matador’ has torn through three of the sport’s most beloved icons ruthlessly, arguably crafting one of the greatest three-fight streaks ever. UFC 317 sealed it. Topuria isn’t just the lightweight champion; he’s the boogeyman. But does Islam Makhachev feel the tremors of this rising storm? According to Dustin Poirier, the answer might surprise you.

Remember when Khabib Nurmagomedov predicted the Charles Oliveira vs. Ilia Topuria fight? The former lightweight champion subtly backed Topuria to win against the Brazilian, and he certainly did. Now, the boogeyman is on the hunt, and with Paddy Pimblett and Arman Tsarukyan on the loose, Ilia Topuria has options. But, what about his clash against Islam Makhachev? Will we ever witness that fight? Maybe, however, Dustin Poirier has come forward to pick his side in the ongoing Topuria vs. Makhachev debate.

While speaking with The Schmo, the former interim lightweight champion emphasized that Islam Makhachev might be a bit too big for Ilia Topuria to handle, “I have never seen Topuria in person, but if he can make 145, dude—Islam’s a big guy. I think he is going to be a lot bigger than Topuria.” But, despite the height difference, Poirier believes that Topuria has what it takes to navigate his victory across the deadly clutches of Makhachev, “But that being said, Topuria is an assassin, and I believe he can knock out anybody from 145 pounds to 170 pounds.” 

Knocking out Charles Oliveira in the very first round is no small feat. His victory over Oliveira is a testament to his intent to dominate the entire division, and possibly set his sights on Islam Makhachev in the future. For now, Topuria is trading barbs with Paddy Pimblett, but he hasn’t ruled out a potential clash with the Dagestani down the line. At the post-fight press conference, Topuria asserted, “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.”

He further added, “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!”  According to Topuria, he has promised the UFC that he won’t move up to welterweight to fight Islam Makhachev right away. With the 155 lbs belt wrapped around his waist, ‘El Matador’ is at the top of the lightweight division, and he may topple Islam Makhachev in the P4P rankings as well.

Ilia Topuria has made it clear that he’s rooting for the newer talent in the division, but he hasn’t ruled out a potential clash with Islam Makhachev. So, what about Team Khabib? Back when Topuria was beefing with the Dagestani camp, they claimed that a win over Charles Oliveira would make him worthy of facing the former lightweight champion. Are they still standing by their words? Well, we don’t know that, but Javier Mendez has certainly come forward to warn ‘El Matador’ about the horrors of the lightweight division.

Team Khabib has a piece of advice for Ilia Topuria as he clinches the lightweight title

With the conclusion of UFC 317, Ilia Topuria has become the target of all the title-hungry contenders still waiting for their shot. With Arman Tsarukyan, Paddy Pimblett, and Justin Gaethje all eyeing a title fight, Topuria has tons of challenges to overcome before he can cross paths with Islam Makhachev. Reacting to Topuria’s victory, Team Khabib head coach, Javier Mendez, in his conversation with Submission Radio sent a warning to Topuria.

“I see Justin Gaethje potentially giving him some problems. Arman Tsarukyan would be the one who, in my opinion, might give him the most problems. Because Arman’s not going to stand with him, Arman’s going to make it a grappling war. So it’s going to be a war of attrition. Can he really survive the continuous ground attack that Arman’s going to put on him? That would be the test,” said Mendez.

He further added, “Can he do that? I don’t know. Maybe he can. Look what he did to Charles. Charles came in for the takedown, and [Topuria] switched it on him mid-air. That was very impressive.” Mendez believes that Ilia Topuria’s true test of strength will come against a professional wrestler. However, what many might not know is that Topuria’s wrestling is top-notch as well—he began his combat sports journey with Greco-Roman wrestling around the age of 7 in Georgia. The coming months will decide the fate of the lightweight division, and with Ilia Topuria at the wheel, it would be interesting to witness how the story will play out.