Multiple division title glory is a rare feat in the world of MMA but has been realized by greats of the sport. Current UFC featherweight king Ilia Topuria is just weeks away from defending his title for the first time against BMF titleholder Max Holloway at UFC 308. Despite focusing on this upcoming bout, ‘El Matador’ seems more inclined to become a two-division champion, following the path of his former idol, Conor McGregor. He has now set his sights on the UFC lightweight division, aiming to gain the attention of its ruler, Islam Makhachev.

A day ago, Topuria took a shot at the lightweight title holder, claiming, “We can always resolve it in the Octagon, not in the streets because I’ll have to pay for his medical bills.” Although Makhachev never responded, ‘El Matador’ never expected it would gain attention not just from him but also from his Dagestani squad, “Team Khabib,” which now seems more akin to messing with ‘The hives of bees’ to him.

Ilia Topuria received a warning from Khabib Nurmagomedov’s cousin

In the world of MMA, where bonding and friendship between fighters rarely exist, UFC Hall of Famer Khabib Nurmagomedov’s team emerges as an exception. Much like the Three Musketeers’ motto, “All for one, one for all,” they always have each other’s backs, protecting one another like brothers. This was recently evident when Ilia Topuria tried to mock Islam Makhachev but received a mouth-shutting reply from Bellator lightweight king Usman Nurmagomedov. He stated, “When did you ever fight on the streets, European boy?” This sharp response was enough to ignite Topuria’s inner “trash talker.”

Without wasting any time, the Georgian native brought up Nurmagomedov’s past controversy, when he was suspended for six months last year after failing a drug test. Topuria claimed, “It’s been a while, to be honest. How’s it going with the drugs? Are you still on steroids?”

In this ongoing exchange, another Nurmagomedov joined in on Instagram. Former UFC welterweight contender Abubakar Nurmagomedov hammered the final nail in Topuria’s callout, writing, “Ilia Topuria, why do you need all this? Fly to me, let’s rest on the shores of the Indian Ocean.” Amidst all these verbal jabs, the person at the center of this controversy, Islam Makhachev, has chosen to remain out of the verbal exchanges and is currently looking to return to the Octagon against Arman Tsarukyan.

Khabib Nurmagomedov opened up about the next opponent for Islam Makhachev

The Lightweight King is currently on hiatus after successfully defending his gold for the third time against former interim champion Dustin Poirier. However, as with every success, this one came at a cost—Makhachev suffered a partial ligament tear in his hand. Since then, he has been recovering, looking forward to defending his title for the fourth time, possibly against top-ranked contender Arman Tsarukyan.

What intrigues the MMA community the most is the question of whether Makhachev will remain in the lightweight division or move up to a higher weight class—an option he has been quite vocal about. Recently, ‘The Eagle’ opened up about Makhachev’s future, stating, “There will always be challenges here—new contenders for the title. This sport is growing very fast, and many new young guys will be good opponents of Islam. Islam is now not only the champion but also the best pound-for-pound fighter.”

Nurmagomedov continued, “Today, UFC offered us a fight in January, and we accepted it. UFC will announce very soon where it will take place and who will be there, but I will not make that announcement.”

What are your thoughts on Ilia Topuria’s stunt of messing with ‘Team Khabib’? Do you believe Topuria is genuinely eager to become a two-division champion, or is he just doing this to stay in the spotlight and promote his upcoming fight at UFC 308? Drop your opinion below.