Ilia Topuria has certainly staked his claim in the featherweight GOAT discussion on his route to clinching gold and slaying legends like Alexander Volkanovski and Max Holloway. Now, his only aim is to jump up the division and fight for the lightweight title as he looks to secure double champion status like some of the MMA’s elite. However, Paddy Pimblett doesn’t see that happening anytime soon, claiming that he doesn’t have the status of someone like Conor McGregor, whom ‘El Matador’ has been called out for imitating.

“I can’t see Ilia fighting Islam. He’s only defended the belt once,” Paddy Pimblett told Liverpool Echo. “Normally, he needs to defend the belt like three times, but he is not that big of a star… He’s not [Conor] McGregor to just jump right up and fight for the other belt. I can’t personally see that happening, but we’ll see what happens.”

Pimblett further mentioned the rumors about a possible rematch for Ilia Topuria against Alexander Volkanovski, which is scheduled to take place in April. But then again, it’s not a done deal as the UFC hasn’t announced it yet. “I heard Ilia’s headlining the [UFC] 314 event against ‘Volk’. But he don’t notice nothing’s finalized with the UFC.”

It’s no secret that there’s no love lost between Topuria and Pimblett, but he may not be wrong when he claimed that ‘El Matador’ may not get his chance to fight for the lightweight title. Why? Well, it’s because Islam Makhachev doesn’t see any logic in taking on the featherweight champion. Here’s what the Dagestan native had to say.

Islam Makhachev isn’t interested in fighting Ilia Topuria

During the UFC 311 pre-fight press conference, Islam Makhachev made it clear what he thinks about fighting an opponent below his weight class. Firstly, he mentioned that, having already fought Alexander Volkanovski twice, he doesn’t want to waste time fighting another featherweight fighter, which, in this case, is Ilia Topuria. Secondly, Makhachev claimed that fighting ‘El Matador’ would not make any sense or add to his legacy. His only focus is on getting that all important second title, which, he claims, would add to his legacy.

“I’m tired of giving chances to small guys. I need my second belt. It’s nothing [against] him. He’s a good fighter, he’s a good, skilled fighter, but I don’t want to give him chance,” Islam Makhachev stated. “I need a second belt. That fights for what? For me, it’s nothing. Just his name. I don’t need his name; I need the belt.” 

Well, the UFC does what it wants, and there is a possibility that they end up pitting Islam Makhachev against Ilia Topuria. Regardless, let us know your thoughts in the comments down below.