{"id":36917,"date":"2025-04-05T09:54:15","date_gmt":"2025-04-05T08:54:15","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/theplayoffs.news\/en\/?p=36917"},"modified":"2025-04-05T09:54:29","modified_gmt":"2025-04-05T08:54:29","slug":"ilia-topuria-vs-islam-makhachev-fight-may-be-in-jeopardy-as-the-lightweight-kingpin-looks-in-a-different-direction","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/theplayoffs.news\/en\/ilia-topuria-vs-islam-makhachev-fight-may-be-in-jeopardy-as-the-lightweight-kingpin-looks-in-a-different-direction\/","title":{"rendered":"Ilia Topuria vs. Islam Makhachev Fight May Be In Jeopardy As The Lightweight Kingpin Looks In A Different Direction!"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>Fighters rise, champions fall, and career paths change with a single decision in the <a href=\"https:\/\/theplayoffs.news\/en\/mma\/\" class=\"trk-cta-link\" data-cta-trk='{\"ctaType\":\"Link\",\"ctaSubType\":\"main\"}'>UFC<\/a>. Right now, two fighters find themselves at an interesting crossroads. Islam Makhachev, the dominant lightweight champion following in Khabib Nurmagomedov&rsquo;s footsteps, has some big choices to make. Meanwhile, Ilia Topuria, the featherweight sensation, has been eyeing a move up to challenge for a second belt. But their collision course might be derailed before it even begins.<\/p><p>For months, fight fans have been buzzing about a potential showdown between these two technical masters. Topuria has been vocal about wanting to move up and challenge Makhachev, even claiming the Dagestani champion is afraid to face him. It wouldn&rsquo;t be the first time a featherweight champion tried to conquer the lightweight division. Alexander Volkanovski made two valiant attempts against Makhachev. But now, fresh out of Ramadan, Islam seems to be looking in a completely different direction, leaving Topuria&rsquo;s ambitious plans hanging in the balance.<\/p><p>Also Read: <a href=\"https:\/\/theplayoffs.news\/en\/kai-kara-france-hints-at-possible-shot-at-the-title-in-cryptic-social-media-post\/\" class=\"trk-cta-link\" data-cta-trk='{\"ctaType\":\"Link\",\"ctaSubType\":\"main\"}'>Kai Kara-France Hints At Possible Shot At The Title In Cryptic Social Media Post!<\/a><\/p><h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Welterweight Dreams: Islam Makhachev&rsquo;s Two-Division Quest<\/h2><p>Islam Makhachev appears to be seriously considering a move up to welterweight, something even his legendary mentor Khabib never attempted. According to reports, he is waiting to see the outcome of the UFC 315 main event between current welterweight champion Belal Muhammad and challenger Jack Della Maddalena.&nbsp;<\/p><p>The decision is pretty straightforward. If Muhammad retains his title, Makhachev might stay at lightweight. But if Della Maddalena wins, the lightweight champion could make the jump to 170 pounds to chase that second belt.<\/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\">&#128680; Islam Makhachev plans on WAITING for the welterweight title fight between Belal Muhammad and Jack Della Maddalena before deciding his next fight<br><br>If Jack Della Maddalena wins, Islam would consider moving up and fighting for the welterweight title<br><br>There will most likely be no&hellip; <a href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/uWksLliKfQ\" class=\"trk-cta-link\" data-cta-trk='{\"ctaType\":\"Link\",\"ctaSubType\":\"main\"}'>pic.twitter.com\/uWksLliKfQ<\/a><\/p>&mdash; Championship Rounds (@ChampRDS) <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/ChampRDS\/status\/1908157906723242221?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\" class=\"trk-cta-link\" data-cta-trk='{\"ctaType\":\"Link\",\"ctaSubType\":\"main\"}'>April 4, 2025<\/a><\/blockquote><script async src=\"https:\/\/platform.twitter.com\/widgets.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script>\n<\/div><\/figure><p>This potential division hop makes perfect sense for Makhachev&rsquo;s career. He has already beaten most top contenders at lightweight. He has broken the record for most title defenses at lightweight as well. A move to welterweight would cement his legacy and potentially put him in the greatest-of-all-time conversation. However, it would likely mean vacating his lightweight title, creating a huge shakeup in two different weight classes. The domino effect would be massive, affecting fighters like Justin Gaethje, Charles Oliveira, and of course, Ilia Topuria.<\/p><h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Ilia Topuria&rsquo;s Lightweight Dreams Face Reality Check<\/h2><p>Ilia Topuria has been quite vocal about his intentions to move up and challenge Islam Makhachev directly. The Spanish-Georgian fighter has even taken shots at the champion, claiming Makhachev is scared to face him. But according to Islam (and Khabib), Topuria needs to prove himself against at least one other lightweight contender first before earning a title shot.<\/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\">Ilia Topuria has his sights locked in on Islam Makhachev and Charles Oliveira for his next UFC fight &#128274;&#128064; <a href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/AO72dDdCw6\" class=\"trk-cta-link\" data-cta-trk='{\"ctaType\":\"Link\",\"ctaSubType\":\"main\"}'>pic.twitter.com\/AO72dDdCw6<\/a><\/p>&mdash; ESPN MMA (@espnmma) <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/espnmma\/status\/1905318419320238301?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\" class=\"trk-cta-link\" data-cta-trk='{\"ctaType\":\"Link\",\"ctaSubType\":\"main\"}'>March 27, 2025<\/a><\/blockquote><script async src=\"https:\/\/platform.twitter.com\/widgets.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script>\n<\/div><\/figure><p>If Makhachev does move up, Topuria&rsquo;s path to lightweight gold might actually become clearer, just not in the way he imagined. Instead of facing Islam, he could potentially fight for a vacant title against someone like Charles Oliveira, whom he has already expressed confidence in beating. The irony here is that Topuria might get his lightweight title shot faster if Makhachev leaves than if he stays. But that is the nature of the sport! For now, everything hinges on what happens at UFC 315!<\/p><p><strong>(Image Credit: Gary A. Vasquez &ndash; Imagn Images)<\/strong><\/p>\n<div class=\"mm-layout mm-layout-type-post mm-layout-slot4\">\n<\/div>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Islam Makhachev may have other plans instead of fighting Ilia Topuria!<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":14,"featured_media":36921,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_mux_skip_reasons":[],"footnotes":""},"categories":[1783],"tags":[1868,1963,1821,2565,3723],"class_list":["post-36917","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-mma","tag-belal-muhammad","tag-ilia-topuria","tag-islam-makhachev","tag-jack-della-maddalena","tag-ufc-315"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v23.8 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/wordpress\/plugins\/seo\/ -->\n<title>Ilia Topuria vs. Islam Makhachev Fight May Be In Jeopardy As The Lightweight Kingpin Looks In A Different Direction! - The Playoffs<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Islam Makhachev may have other plans focuses on the double championship status instead of fighting Ilia Topuria.\" \/>\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\/ilia-topuria-vs-islam-makhachev-fight-may-be-in-jeopardy-as-the-lightweight-kingpin-looks-in-a-different-direction\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Ilia Topuria vs. Islam Makhachev Fight May Be In Jeopardy As The Lightweight Kingpin Looks In A Different Direction! - The Playoffs\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Islam Makhachev may have other plans focuses on the double championship status instead of fighting Ilia Topuria.\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/theplayoffs.news\/en\/ilia-topuria-vs-islam-makhachev-fight-may-be-in-jeopardy-as-the-lightweight-kingpin-looks-in-a-different-direction\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"The Playoffs\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2025-04-05T09:54:29+01:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/theplayoffs.news\/en\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/04\/USATSI_25225222_168415981_lowres.jpg\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"2422\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"1625\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/jpeg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"Zaid Quraishi\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:creator\" content=\"@ThePlayoffsEN\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:site\" content=\"@ThePlayoffsEN\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"Zaid Quraishi\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"3 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\/\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"NewsArticle\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/theplayoffs.news\/en\/ilia-topuria-vs-islam-makhachev-fight-may-be-in-jeopardy-as-the-lightweight-kingpin-looks-in-a-different-direction\/#article\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/theplayoffs.news\/en\/ilia-topuria-vs-islam-makhachev-fight-may-be-in-jeopardy-as-the-lightweight-kingpin-looks-in-a-different-direction\/\"},\"author\":{\"name\":\"Zaid Quraishi\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/theplayoffs.news\/en\/#\/schema\/person\/ccd5901be00586ad6098d47c91b67e29\"},\"headline\":\"Ilia Topuria vs. Islam Makhachev Fight May Be In Jeopardy As The Lightweight Kingpin Looks In A Different Direction!\",\"datePublished\":\"2025-04-05T08:54:15+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2025-04-05T08:54:29+00:00\",\"mainEntityOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/theplayoffs.news\/en\/ilia-topuria-vs-islam-makhachev-fight-may-be-in-jeopardy-as-the-lightweight-kingpin-looks-in-a-different-direction\/\"},\"wordCount\":535,\"publisher\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/theplayoffs.news\/en\/#organization\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/theplayoffs.news\/en\/ilia-topuria-vs-islam-makhachev-fight-may-be-in-jeopardy-as-the-lightweight-kingpin-looks-in-a-different-direction\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\/\/cdn.theplayoffs.news\/en\/\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/04\/USATSI_25225222_168415981_lowres.jpg\",\"keywords\":[\"Belal Muhammad\",\"Ilia Topuria\",\"Islam Makhachev\",\"Jack Della Maddalena\",\"UFC 315\"],\"articleSection\":[\"MMA\"],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"copyrightYear\":\"2025\",\"copyrightHolder\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/theplayoffs.news\/en\/#organization\"}},{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/theplayoffs.news\/en\/ilia-topuria-vs-islam-makhachev-fight-may-be-in-jeopardy-as-the-lightweight-kingpin-looks-in-a-different-direction\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/theplayoffs.news\/en\/ilia-topuria-vs-islam-makhachev-fight-may-be-in-jeopardy-as-the-lightweight-kingpin-looks-in-a-different-direction\/\",\"name\":\"Ilia Topuria vs. Islam Makhachev Fight May Be In Jeopardy As The Lightweight Kingpin Looks In A Different Direction! 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