Feb 17, 2024; Anaheim, California, USA; Ilia Topuria celebrates his championship victory against Alexander Volkanovski during UFC 298 at Honda Center. Mandatory Credit: Gary A. Vasquez-USA TODAY Sports

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Ilia Topuria’s Brother Reveals “HISTORIC” Plans If Islam Makhachev Wins The Welterweight Gold

Aleksandre Topuria envisions his brother Ilia making UFC history by capturing titles across three weight divisions!

The UFC world is buzzing with excitement lately. Weight class jumps are shaking things up. Championship dreams are getting bigger. And in the middle of all this stands the undefeated Ilia Topuria, ready to make his mark in the lightweight division after already conquering featherweight.

Ilia’s path to lightweight glory took an unexpected turn after UFC 315. Islam Makhachev, whom Topuria had been calling out, decided to move up to welterweight after Jack Della Maddalena defeated Belal Muhammad. This shake-up led to Topuria being matched against Charles Oliveira for the now-vacant lightweight championship. While many fighters would be focused solely on this immediate challenge, Ilia’s brother Aleksandre Topuria sees an even grander future ahead!

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Aleksandre Topuria Envisions Three-Division Dream For Ilia Topuria

Aleksandre Topuria is thinking historically big for his little brother. The UFC bantamweight fighter recently shared his ambitious vision with Enrique Gimeno MMA.

“The perfect scenario would be for Ilia to win, for Islam to win in the welterweight division, and then for Ilia to fight for a third belt. Historic.”

Ilia Topuria's brother, Aleksandre, reveals the 'perfect scenario' for Ilia's next two fights:

"The perfect scenario would be for Ilia to win, for Islam to win in the welterweight division, and then for Ilia to fight for a third belt. Historic." 👀

(via. @enriquegimmma) #UFC317 pic.twitter.com/vkdnh4RRMV
— Championship Rounds (@ChampRDS) May 19, 2025

What makes this plan so remarkable? No fighter in UFC history has ever captured championship gold in three different weight classes. The only combat sports athlete to achieve this feat is Anatoly Malykhin, who did it in ONE Championship. Ilia Topuria currently holds a pristine 16-0 record and owned the featherweight title.

If he were to follow his brother’s suggested path, win the lightweight belt against Oliveira, defend it successfully, and then move up to challenge for welterweight gold,he would truly cement his legacy as one of the greatest fighters of all time. Topuria himself has given some mixed signals related to pursuing the welterweight belt. Before any three-division dreams can become reality, the former featherweight champion must first overcome the formidable Charles Oliveira. The Brazilian submission specialist holds the record for most finishes in UFC history. Oliveira is no stranger to championship fights, having held the lightweight belt before.

Makhachev’s move to welterweight opened this door for Topuria. And if Aleksandre’s vision comes true, we might witness something truly unprecedented in the octagon. An athlete becoming champion in three separate weight divisions would redefine what’s possible in mixed martial arts. For now, though, El Matador keeps his sights set on becoming just the latest two-division champion in UFC history!

(Image Credit: Gary A. Vasquez – Imagn Images)

Aleksandre Topuria

Charles Oliveira

Ilia Topuria

Islam Makhachev

Zaid Quraishi

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I am a dedicated MMA and Boxing content writer at The Playoffs. I was instantly hooked on MMA after watching the fight between Lyoto Machida vs. Gegard Mousasi back in 2014, and since then, i have been an avid writer with a deep love for the sport and its techniques, providing readers with a thorough understanding of the sport. My favorite aspect of working at The Playoffs is the creative freedom it provides. The diverse range of topics, from listicles and SEO to news articles, keeps me engaged and motivates me to continuously improve my skills! I aim to capture the excitement of the combat sports world in my writing, acting as the middleman between fighters and their die-hard fans. It is kind of like a referee, but with words!