{"id":23554,"date":"2025-02-26T18:27:15","date_gmt":"2025-02-26T17:27:15","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/theplayoffs.news\/en\/?p=23554"},"modified":"2025-02-26T18:32:39","modified_gmt":"2025-02-26T17:32:39","slug":"islam-makhachev-drops-major-hint-about-fighting-ilia-topuria","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/theplayoffs.news\/en\/islam-makhachev-drops-major-hint-about-fighting-ilia-topuria\/","title":{"rendered":"Islam Makhachev Drops Major Hint About Fighting Ilia Topuria!"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>A new chapter seems to be unfolding in the <a href=\"https:\/\/theplayoffs.news\/en\/mma\/\" class=\"trk-cta-link\" data-cta-trk='{\"ctaType\":\"Link\",\"ctaSubType\":\"main\"}'>UFC<\/a> lightweight division. Former featherweight champion Ilia Topuria has officially vacated his 145-pound title to pursue greatness in the lightweight ranks. This move has sent ripples through the MMA community, creating buzz about potential matchups that could reshape the divisional landscape.<\/p><p>Islam Makhachev, the current lightweight king and Khabib Nurmagomedov&rsquo;s successor, appears to be warming up to the idea of facing the undefeated Spanish-Georgian fighter. In a cryptic yet telling Instagram story, Makhachev posted a picture of himself standing next to fire extinguishers with the caption:<\/p><p><strong><em>&ldquo;Someone needs to be put out&rdquo;<\/em><\/strong><\/p><figure class=\"wp-block-embed is-type-rich is-provider-twitter wp-block-embed-twitter\"><div class=\"wp-block-embed__wrapper\">\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\" data-width=\"500\" data-dnt=\"true\"><p lang=\"en\" dir=\"ltr\">Islam Makhachev just posted a picture next to some fire extinguishers with the caption \"someone needs to be put out\" &#129300;&#128064;<br><br>(via. <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/MAKHACHEVMMA?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\" class=\"trk-cta-link\" data-cta-trk='{\"ctaType\":\"Link\",\"ctaSubType\":\"main\"}'>@MAKHACHEVMMA<\/a>, h\/t <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/MMA_PROS_PICK_?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\" class=\"trk-cta-link\" data-cta-trk='{\"ctaType\":\"Link\",\"ctaSubType\":\"main\"}'>@MMA_PROS_PICK_<\/a>) <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/hashtag\/UFC?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\" class=\"trk-cta-link\" data-cta-trk='{\"ctaType\":\"Link\",\"ctaSubType\":\"main\"}'>#UFC<\/a> <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/hashtag\/MMA?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\" class=\"trk-cta-link\" data-cta-trk='{\"ctaType\":\"Link\",\"ctaSubType\":\"main\"}'>#MMA<\/a> <a href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/8XxymEISSZ\" class=\"trk-cta-link\" data-cta-trk='{\"ctaType\":\"Link\",\"ctaSubType\":\"main\"}'>pic.twitter.com\/8XxymEISSZ<\/a><\/p>&mdash; Championship Rounds (@ChampRDS) <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/ChampRDS\/status\/1894395910588715285?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\" class=\"trk-cta-link\" data-cta-trk='{\"ctaType\":\"Link\",\"ctaSubType\":\"main\"}'>February 25, 2025<\/a><\/blockquote><script async src=\"https:\/\/platform.twitter.com\/widgets.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script>\n<\/div><\/figure><p>The timing of this post speaks volumes, coming shortly after Dana White&rsquo;s announcement of Topuria&rsquo;s permanent move to lightweight. The Dagestani champion has previously expressed fatigue at giving opportunities to fighters moving up from featherweight. After his impressive victory over Renato Moicano at UFC 311, he made his position clear that anyone that can make 155 is fair game.<\/p><p>Also Read: <a href=\"https:\/\/theplayoffs.news\/en\/dmitry-bivol-clarifies-why-artur-beterbiev-refused-to-shake-his-hand-after-the-fight\/\" class=\"trk-cta-link\" data-cta-trk='{\"ctaType\":\"Link\",\"ctaSubType\":\"main\"}'>Dmitry Bivol Clarifies Why Artur Beterbiev Refused To Shake His Hand After The Fight!<\/a><\/p><h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Is A Title Shot In The Books For Ilia Topuria?<\/h2><p>Ilia Topuria&rsquo;s case for an immediate title shot is stronger than most. He&rsquo;s coming off victories over two fighters considered the greatest featherweight champions of all time. His trash talk game has been on point too, boldly claiming he could submit the submission specialist Makhachev. Bold claims aside, Topuria&rsquo;s perfect record and championship pedigree make him a legitimate threat to anyone in the division.<\/p><p>However, there is a major catch. UFC CEO, Dana White recently stated that they were looking at other possibilities for Ilia Topuria. This means that he probably will face a high ranked lightweight before he gets the shot at the lightweight belt. Also, Javier Mendez, the head coach at American Kickboxing Academy has expressed concerns. <\/p><p>He believes facing Topuria might be a lose-lose situation for Makhachev&rsquo;s legacy. He makes a fair point &ndash; Islam Makhachev already defeated Alexander Volkanovski twice. Critics might view another win over a former featherweight as expected rather than impressive.<\/p><figure class=\"wp-block-embed is-type-video is-provider-youtube wp-block-embed-youtube wp-embed-aspect-16-9 wp-has-aspect-ratio\"><div class=\"wp-block-embed__wrapper\">\n<iframe loading=\"lazy\" title=\"Dana White Comments On Ilia Topuria Vs Islam Makhachev Fight (Via @ufc) #ufc #danawhite #ufcseattle\" width=\"500\" height=\"281\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/O2fE13xwjWg?feature=oembed&amp;enablejsapi=1&amp;origin=https:\/\/theplayoffs.news\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share\" referrerpolicy=\"strict-origin-when-cross-origin\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe>\n<\/div><\/figure><p>There&rsquo;s also the matter of deserving lightweight contenders who&rsquo;ve been patiently waiting their turn. Fighters like Charles Oliveira and Arman Tsarukyan have been grinding in the division for years. These established lightweights might feel slighted if Topuria skips the line based on his featherweight accomplishments.<\/p><p>Whether this fight materializes soon remains to be seen. Makhachev&rsquo;s fire extinguisher post suggests he&rsquo;s at least entertaining the idea. For Topuria, this would be the fastest path to potential two-division champion status. <\/p><p>For fans, it would be an intriguing clash of styles &ndash; Makhachev&rsquo;s suffocating grappling against Topuria&rsquo;s explosive power and improving ground game. As the lightweight division continues to evolve, this potential matchup represents exactly what makes MMA so captivating!<\/p><p><strong>(Image Credit: Jasmin Frank &ndash; Imagn Images)<\/strong><\/p>\n<div class=\"mm-layout mm-layout-type-post mm-layout-slot4\">\n<\/div>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>A new chapter seems to be unfolding in the UFC lightweight division. Former featherweight champion Ilia Topuria has officially vacated his 145-pound title to pursue greatness in the lightweight ranks. This move has sent ripples through the MMA community, creating buzz about potential matchups that could reshape the divisional landscape. Islam Makhachev, the current lightweight [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":14,"featured_media":23555,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_mux_skip_reasons":[],"footnotes":""},"categories":[1783],"tags":[1963,1821],"class_list":["post-23554","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-mma","tag-ilia-topuria","tag-islam-makhachev"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v23.8 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/wordpress\/plugins\/seo\/ -->\n<title>Islam Makhachev Drops Major Hint About Fighting Ilia Topuria! - The Playoffs<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Islam Makhachev teases fans with a positive hint about a super fight with the former UFC featherweight champion\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/theplayoffs.news\/en\/islam-makhachev-drops-major-hint-about-fighting-ilia-topuria\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Islam Makhachev Drops Major Hint About Fighting Ilia Topuria! 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