Islam Makhachev continues to reign atop the UFC’s pound-for-pound rankings, leaving Ilia Topuria behind. Naturally, fans are clamoring for a blockbuster showdown between the two to determine who truly deserves the top spot. While both fighters have expressed openness to the idea, one question continues to dominate the conversation: who would emerge victorious?

With elite skills on both sides, predicting a winner is far from straightforward. Opinions, however, are not in short supply. Among the most intriguing voices weighing in is Arman Tsarukyan—who could one day share the Octagon with Topuria—along with Bo Nickal, the highly decorated wrestler whose insights add another layer to the debate.

Arman Tsarukyan claims The MMA Guru knows nothing about MMA

The Armenian recently appeared on Adin Ross’ Kick stream with The MMA Guru on the side. The trio got to talking about why Makhachev vs. Topuria didn’t happen yet. Of course, Makhachev and Topuria have transitioned to different categories, but the interesting conversation began when Guru claimed that Ilia Topuria could beat Makhachev.

“You think Topuria can beat Islam?” Tsarukyan asked, looking shocked to hear the very idea. Guru, however, was confident about his prediction on the mega fight. “Yeah, at 170 no, at 155 yes,” Guru responded. Tsarukyan scoffed at the idea. “You don’t know s—t about MMA,” he snapped during the video.

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While Ilia Topuria made his way to the lightweight division, Islam Makhachev had won the lightweight title and moved on to the welterweight division. After Topuria took on the lightweight crown, Makhachev was seeking the welterweight strap and later got it. However, amid these, fans missed out on what could have been a landmark fight in UFC. Still, debate continues to rage over who would win if the duo ever met.

Tsarukyan, on the other hand, was snubbed for the interim title fight between Justin Gaethje and Paddy Pimblett, scheduled to unfold later this month. The winner of this fight will end up facing Ilia Topuria down the line for the undisputed lightweight title. Topuria was snubbed even though he was the No.1 contender in the division. 

Regardless, not everyone shares Tsarukyan’s prediction for the mega fight. 

Bo Nickal predicts Islam Makhachev vs. Ilia Topuria

The three-time NCAA Division I Wrestling Champion recently appeared in an interview with Helen Yee, where he was pressed about the Makhachev vs. Ilia Topuria fight. “It’s tough. I think that Ilia’s skill set, what he’s able to do striking-wise, as well as the grappling, he’s probably the pound-for-pound number one guy in the world for me,” Nickal told Yee. 

He praised Islam’s grappling and the size advantage he may have if the fight happens at 170. However, that isn’t enough for Nickal to give the fight to Makhachev. “I gotta go [with] Ilia, just because the well-roundedness and the striking, the power, I think it’ll translate up weight,” Nickal added. “Obviously, we’ve seen that with his last fight, so yeah, that’d be my pick.”

It appears even the experts in MMA aren’t completely aligned on who the winner will be when two behemoths like Islam Makhachev and Ilia Topuria come face to face. But what about you?