For a time, it seemed likely that Ilia Topuria would face Islam Makhachev on the Freedom 250 card. That matchup ultimately fell through, with Topuria now scheduled to take on Justin Gaethje on June 14. Still, had the Makhachev fight materialized, the UFC was reportedly prepared to grant Topuria a rare exception—one that could have put him in position to match a historic achievement set by Conor McGregor.

That’s, of course, becoming a simultaneous two-division champion. Conor McGregor famously held titles in two weight classes at once. Topuria once had a path toward that same distinction when he moved up to lightweight. But he ultimately chose to vacate his featherweight title. However, the Spaniard has now revealed that the UFC would have allowed him to retain his belt if a clash with Islam Makhachev had come together at welterweight.

“Not really,” Topuria told Ariel Helwani when asked whether the UFC would have forced him to vacate the lightweight title if the Makhachev fight had happened. “They would let me keep it… This is a completely different situation than… when I was fighting in the featherweight division. Like, I was very honest [with] them when I wanted to move up. 

“I was like, ‘Listen, I want to leave this belt because I’m never going to come back to the featherweight division, because I really want to change the weight class.’ But if I move up to the welterweight division, it’s going to be different because after that fight, I would come back to the lightweight division.”

As things stand, the UFC isn’t allowing its champions to hold onto a title in one division while moving to another. The promotion wants its champions to defend their belts before pursuing a simultaneous two-division titleholder status. In Topuria’s case, he had no intention of returning to featherweight, which led the UFC to permit his move up to lightweight. Similarly, Islam Makhachev moved to welterweight.

A comparable situation is unfolding with Alex Pereira, who is moving to heavyweight for a clash with Ciryl Gane. That said, as Topuria pointed out, the UFC can make exceptions at its own discretion. He has yet to defend his lightweight strap since capturing it with a win over Charles Oliveira in June last year. For now, the Justin Gaethje fight will be his first lightweight title defense.

But this doesn’t appear to have changed his stance on what would have happened if the Makhachev fight had happened.

Ilia Topuria claims he will submit Islam Makhachev when they fight

‘El Matador’ isn’t short on belief when it comes to a potential clash with the welterweight champion. The undefeated UFC lightweight champion has made it clear that, if given the opportunity, he intends to shock the MMA world in emphatic fashion.

“When I get the opportunity to fight with someone, I always think about what I can do to really shock the world,” Topuria said. “So with Islam, I’m like, to shock the world, I have to submit him… I’m going to take him down, and I’m going to submit him.”

The fight has already failed to materialize once, with Topuria claiming he initially chose Makhachev before being redirected to face Justin Gaethje due to injury concerns. Still, his confidence hasn’t wavered.

“Don’t be surprised when you’re going to see that happen,” he added.

If Ilia Topuria can really do what he claims, he will not only become a simultaneous two-division champion but also a three-division champion. The UFC is yet to see its first three-division champion, something Alex Pereira stands a chance to become if he beats Ciryl Gane and gets booked to fight Tom Aspinall at heavyweight. 

Topuria vs. Gaethje might be what’s happening next, but clearly, the demand for the Makhachev fight hasn’t died down. When they eventually end up fighting, there’s no doubt it will be the biggest attraction in recent UFC history.