{"id":53413,"date":"2025-05-15T20:25:46","date_gmt":"2025-05-15T19:25:46","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/theplayoffs.news\/en\/?p=53413"},"modified":"2025-05-15T20:25:54","modified_gmt":"2025-05-15T19:25:54","slug":"islam-makhachev-fires-back-ilia-topurias-hypocrite-jab-ufc-lightweight-drama-heats-up","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/theplayoffs.news\/en\/islam-makhachev-fires-back-ilia-topurias-hypocrite-jab-ufc-lightweight-drama-heats-up\/","title":{"rendered":"Islam Makhachev Fires Back at Ilia Topuria\u2019s \u201cHypocrite\u201d Jab as UFC Lightweight Drama Heats Up"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>The UFC lightweight division is ablaze with tension as Islam Makhachev and traded words over Makhachev&rsquo;s welterweight move. After Topuria called Makhachev &ldquo;the biggest hypocrite I&rsquo;ve ever seen,&rdquo; for vacating his lightweight title, Makhachev fired back, escalating their rivalry ahead of UFC 317 where Topuria will face Charles Oliveira for the vacant lightweight title.<\/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 dropping quotes like prime Thanos from Infinity War &#128995; <a href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/Co1ujLgOCQ\" class=\"trk-cta-link\" data-cta-trk='{\"ctaType\":\"Link\",\"ctaSubType\":\"main\"}'>pic.twitter.com\/Co1ujLgOCQ<\/a><\/p>&mdash; MMA On Point (@OnPointMMA) <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/OnPointMMA\/status\/1923006636362207654?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\" class=\"trk-cta-link\" data-cta-trk='{\"ctaType\":\"Link\",\"ctaSubType\":\"main\"}'>May 15, 2025<\/a><\/blockquote><script async src=\"https:\/\/platform.twitter.com\/widgets.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script>\n<\/div><\/figure><p>Ilia Topuria, the former featherweight title holder, vacated his 145-pound belt after knocking out Alexander Volkanovski and Max Holloway in 2024. When he moved up, Topuria initially intended to face Makhachev at 155 pounds but was left frustrated when Makhachev vacated his lightweight title to pursue welterweight champion Jack Della Maddalena, who won the belt at UFC 315 after defeating Belal Muhammad via unanimous decision. Instead, Topuria will now face Charles Oliveira for the vacant lightweight crown at UFC 317 on June 28, 2025.<\/p><p>Also Read: <a href=\"https:\/\/theplayoffs.news\/en\/dricus-du-plessis-brutally-trolls-khamzat-chimaev-as-nassourdine-imavov-announced-as-official-back-up\/\" class=\"trk-cta-link\" data-cta-trk='{\"ctaType\":\"Link\",\"ctaSubType\":\"main\"}'>Dricus Du Plessis Brutally Trolls Khamzat Chimaev As Nassourdine Imavov Announced As Official Back-Up<\/a><\/p><h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Topuria accused Makhachev of being a &ldquo;Hypocrite&rdquo;<\/h2><p>In an interview, Topuria accused Makhachev of hypocrisy for dismissing a fight with him as a &ldquo;smaller guy,&rdquo; while now chasing a welterweight title himself. &ldquo;He criticized my decision, but he&rsquo;s doing the same thing,&rdquo; Topuria said, adding on X, &ldquo;I speak and fight. You talk and hide.&rdquo; <\/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; Ilia Topuria on Islam Makhachev:<br><br>&ldquo;He is the biggest hypocrite I have ever seen&rdquo;<br><br>&ldquo;He said he didn't want to give me the opportunity because I was the little guy, now he is the little guy looking for the same opportunity that I was looking for, a hypocrite.&rdquo;<br><br>via <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/KOlmeneroMMA?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\" class=\"trk-cta-link\" data-cta-trk='{\"ctaType\":\"Link\",\"ctaSubType\":\"main\"}'>@KOlmeneroMMA<\/a> <a href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/ofgDRCLLs7\" class=\"trk-cta-link\" data-cta-trk='{\"ctaType\":\"Link\",\"ctaSubType\":\"main\"}'>pic.twitter.com\/ofgDRCLLs7<\/a><\/p>&mdash; ACD MMA (@acdmma_) <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/acdmma_\/status\/1922985597959917688?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\" class=\"trk-cta-link\" data-cta-trk='{\"ctaType\":\"Link\",\"ctaSubType\":\"main\"}'>May 15, 2025<\/a><\/blockquote><script async src=\"https:\/\/platform.twitter.com\/widgets.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script>\n<\/div><\/figure><h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Makhachev fired back at Topuria&rsquo;s claims <\/h2><p>Makhachev didn&rsquo;t hold back, responding on X as he tweeted, <strong><em>&ldquo;I cleaned top list in my division, moved to next, but you ran away from (featherweight) contenders. You are a nobody in LW (lightweight) division, just a big mouth from Spain.&rdquo;<\/em><\/strong> With a 15-fight win streak and 4 lightweight title defenses, Makhachev argues he&rsquo;s earned his welterweight shot, unlike Topuria, who he claims has proven himself at 155 pounds.<\/p><blockquote class=\"instagram-media\" data-instgrm-captioned data-instgrm-permalink=\"https:\/\/www.instagram.com\/p\/DJrRykAyvoL\/?utm_source=ig_embed&amp;utm_campaign=loading\" data-instgrm-version=\"14\" style=\" background:#FFF; border:0; border-radius:3px; box-shadow:0 0 1px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.5),0 1px 10px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.15); margin: 1px; max-width:540px; min-width:326px; padding:0; width:99.375%; width:-webkit-calc(100% - 2px); width:calc(100% - 2px);\"><div style=\"padding:16px;\"> <a href=\"https:\/\/www.instagram.com\/p\/DJrRykAyvoL\/?utm_source=ig_embed&amp;utm_campaign=loading\" style=\" background:#FFFFFF; line-height:0; padding:0 0; text-align:center; text-decoration:none; width:100%;\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" class=\"trk-cta-link\" data-cta-trk='{\"ctaType\":\"Link\",\"ctaSubType\":\"main\"}'> <div style=\" display: flex; flex-direction: row; align-items: center;\"> <div style=\"background-color: #F4F4F4; border-radius: 50%; flex-grow: 0; height: 40px; margin-right: 14px; width: 40px;\"><\/div> <div style=\"display: flex; flex-direction: column; flex-grow: 1; justify-content: center;\"> <div style=\" background-color: #F4F4F4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; margin-bottom: 6px; width: 100px;\"><\/div> <div style=\" background-color: #F4F4F4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; width: 60px;\"><\/div><\/div><\/div><div style=\"padding: 19% 0;\"><\/div> <div style=\"display:block; height:50px; margin:0 auto 12px; width:50px;\"><svg width=\"50px\" height=\"50px\" viewbox=\"0 0 60 60\" version=\"1.1\" xmlns=\"https:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" xmlns:xlink=\"https:\/\/www.w3.org\/1999\/xlink\"><g stroke=\"none\" stroke-width=\"1\" fill=\"none\" fill-rule=\"evenodd\"><g transform=\"translate(-511.000000, -20.000000)\" fill=\"#000000\"><g><path d=\"M556.869,30.41 C554.814,30.41 553.148,32.076 553.148,34.131 C553.148,36.186 554.814,37.852 556.869,37.852 C558.924,37.852 560.59,36.186 560.59,34.131 C560.59,32.076 558.924,30.41 556.869,30.41 M541,60.657 C535.114,60.657 530.342,55.887 530.342,50 C530.342,44.114 535.114,39.342 541,39.342 C546.887,39.342 551.658,44.114 551.658,50 C551.658,55.887 546.887,60.657 541,60.657 M541,33.886 C532.1,33.886 524.886,41.1 524.886,50 C524.886,58.899 532.1,66.113 541,66.113 C549.9,66.113 557.115,58.899 557.115,50 C557.115,41.1 549.9,33.886 541,33.886 M565.378,62.101 C565.244,65.022 564.756,66.606 564.346,67.663 C563.803,69.06 563.154,70.057 562.106,71.106 C561.058,72.155 560.06,72.803 558.662,73.347 C557.607,73.757 556.021,74.244 553.102,74.378 C549.944,74.521 548.997,74.552 541,74.552 C533.003,74.552 532.056,74.521 528.898,74.378 C525.979,74.244 524.393,73.757 523.338,73.347 C521.94,72.803 520.942,72.155 519.894,71.106 C518.846,70.057 518.197,69.06 517.654,67.663 C517.244,66.606 516.755,65.022 516.623,62.101 C516.479,58.943 516.448,57.996 516.448,50 C516.448,42.003 516.479,41.056 516.623,37.899 C516.755,34.978 517.244,33.391 517.654,32.338 C518.197,30.938 518.846,29.942 519.894,28.894 C520.942,27.846 521.94,27.196 523.338,26.654 C524.393,26.244 525.979,25.756 528.898,25.623 C532.057,25.479 533.004,25.448 541,25.448 C548.997,25.448 549.943,25.479 553.102,25.623 C556.021,25.756 557.607,26.244 558.662,26.654 C560.06,27.196 561.058,27.846 562.106,28.894 C563.154,29.942 563.803,30.938 564.346,32.338 C564.756,33.391 565.244,34.978 565.378,37.899 C565.522,41.056 565.552,42.003 565.552,50 C565.552,57.996 565.522,58.943 565.378,62.101 M570.82,37.631 C570.674,34.438 570.167,32.258 569.425,30.349 C568.659,28.377 567.633,26.702 565.965,25.035 C564.297,23.368 562.623,22.342 560.652,21.575 C558.743,20.834 556.562,20.326 553.369,20.18 C550.169,20.033 549.148,20 541,20 C532.853,20 531.831,20.033 528.631,20.18 C525.438,20.326 523.257,20.834 521.349,21.575 C519.376,22.342 517.703,23.368 516.035,25.035 C514.368,26.702 513.342,28.377 512.574,30.349 C511.834,32.258 511.326,34.438 511.181,37.631 C511.035,40.831 511,41.851 511,50 C511,58.147 511.035,59.17 511.181,62.369 C511.326,65.562 511.834,67.743 512.574,69.651 C513.342,71.625 514.368,73.296 516.035,74.965 C517.703,76.634 519.376,77.658 521.349,78.425 C523.257,79.167 525.438,79.673 528.631,79.82 C531.831,79.965 532.853,80.001 541,80.001 C549.148,80.001 550.169,79.965 553.369,79.82 C556.562,79.673 558.743,79.167 560.652,78.425 C562.623,77.658 564.297,76.634 565.965,74.965 C567.633,73.296 568.659,71.625 569.425,69.651 C570.167,67.743 570.674,65.562 570.82,62.369 C570.966,59.17 571,58.147 571,50 C571,41.851 570.966,40.831 570.82,37.631\"><\/path><\/g><\/g><\/g><\/svg><\/div><div style=\"padding-top: 8px;\"> <div style=\" color:#3897f0; font-family:Arial,sans-serif; font-size:14px; font-style:normal; font-weight:550; line-height:18px;\">View this post on Instagram<\/div><\/div><div style=\"padding: 12.5% 0;\"><\/div> <div style=\"display: flex; flex-direction: row; margin-bottom: 14px; align-items: center;\"><div> <div style=\"background-color: #F4F4F4; border-radius: 50%; height: 12.5px; width: 12.5px; transform: translateX(0px) translateY(7px);\"><\/div> <div style=\"background-color: #F4F4F4; height: 12.5px; transform: rotate(-45deg) translateX(3px) translateY(1px); width: 12.5px; flex-grow: 0; margin-right: 14px; margin-left: 2px;\"><\/div> <div style=\"background-color: #F4F4F4; border-radius: 50%; height: 12.5px; width: 12.5px; transform: translateX(9px) translateY(-18px);\"><\/div><\/div><div style=\"margin-left: 8px;\"> <div style=\" background-color: #F4F4F4; border-radius: 50%; flex-grow: 0; height: 20px; width: 20px;\"><\/div> <div style=\" width: 0; height: 0; border-top: 2px solid transparent; border-left: 6px solid #f4f4f4; border-bottom: 2px solid transparent; transform: translateX(16px) translateY(-4px) rotate(30deg)\"><\/div><\/div><div style=\"margin-left: auto;\"> <div style=\" width: 0px; border-top: 8px solid #F4F4F4; border-right: 8px solid transparent; transform: translateY(16px);\"><\/div> <div style=\" background-color: #F4F4F4; flex-grow: 0; height: 12px; width: 16px; transform: translateY(-4px);\"><\/div> <div style=\" width: 0; height: 0; border-top: 8px solid #F4F4F4; border-left: 8px solid transparent; transform: translateY(-4px) translateX(8px);\"><\/div><\/div><\/div> <div style=\"display: flex; flex-direction: column; flex-grow: 1; justify-content: center; margin-bottom: 24px;\"> <div style=\" background-color: #F4F4F4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; margin-bottom: 6px; width: 224px;\"><\/div> <div style=\" background-color: #F4F4F4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; width: 144px;\"><\/div><\/div><\/a><p style=\" color:#c9c8cd; font-family:Arial,sans-serif; font-size:14px; line-height:17px; margin-bottom:0; margin-top:8px; overflow:hidden; padding:8px 0 7px; text-align:center; text-overflow:ellipsis; white-space:nowrap;\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.instagram.com\/p\/DJrRykAyvoL\/?utm_source=ig_embed&amp;utm_campaign=loading\" style=\" color:#c9c8cd; font-family:Arial,sans-serif; font-size:14px; font-style:normal; font-weight:normal; line-height:17px; text-decoration:none;\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" class=\"trk-cta-link\" data-cta-trk='{\"ctaType\":\"Link\",\"ctaSubType\":\"main\"}'>A post shared by MMA On Point (@mmaonpoint)<\/a><\/p><\/div><\/blockquote><script async src=\"\/\/www.instagram.com\/embed.js\"><\/script><p>Many fans are divided in the hot topic. Some argue that Makhachev ducked a tough fight against Topuria, whereas others argue that the Georgian&rsquo;s resume hasn&rsquo;t justified him yet for a title fight. <\/p><p>As Topuria prepares for for Oliveira and Makhachev eyes Jack Della Maddalena&rsquo;s title, this fued is likely far from over. A future superfight could happen between the two, if they continue winning in their respective divisions. And with Topuria recently stating that he&rsquo;s not completely opposed from the idea of moving up the to welterweight division, anything is possible at this point. However, for now, we all need to focus on if Topuria can beat Charles Oliveira at UFC 317, as the Georgian is currently the heavy favorite to win the fight.<\/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 is asked if he'd consider moving up to 170:<br><br>\"Of course, why not? It depends, if the fans want to see me fight at welterweight, and there's a champion the company has at the moment, why not?<br><br>I fight to entertain people. Obviously, I also have to be motivated by the&hellip; <a href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/jPOR4lGz9n\" class=\"trk-cta-link\" data-cta-trk='{\"ctaType\":\"Link\",\"ctaSubType\":\"main\"}'>pic.twitter.com\/jPOR4lGz9n<\/a><\/p>&mdash; Championship Rounds (@ChampRDS) <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/ChampRDS\/status\/1923020384682619281?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\" class=\"trk-cta-link\" data-cta-trk='{\"ctaType\":\"Link\",\"ctaSubType\":\"main\"}'>May 15, 2025<\/a><\/blockquote><script async src=\"https:\/\/platform.twitter.com\/widgets.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script>\n<\/div><\/figure><p>Also Read: <a href=\"https:\/\/theplayoffs.news\/en\/della-maddalenas-head-coach-breaks-down-the-islam-makhachev-showdown\/\" class=\"trk-cta-link\" data-cta-trk='{\"ctaType\":\"Link\",\"ctaSubType\":\"main\"}'>&lsquo;JDM Will Knock Islam Out&rsquo; &ndash; Della Maddalena&rsquo;s Head Coach Breaks Down the Islam Makhachev Showdown<\/a><\/p>\n<div class=\"mm-layout mm-layout-type-post mm-layout-slot4\">\n<\/div>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>The UFC lightweight division is ablaze with tension as Islam Makhachev and traded words over Makhachev&rsquo;s welterweight move. After Topuria called Makhachev &ldquo;the biggest hypocrite I&rsquo;ve ever seen,&rdquo; for vacating his lightweight title, Makhachev fired back, escalating their rivalry ahead of UFC 317 where Topuria will face Charles Oliveira for the vacant lightweight title. Ilia [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":19,"featured_media":53442,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_mux_skip_reasons":[],"footnotes":""},"categories":[1783],"tags":[1963,1821,1983],"class_list":["post-53413","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-mma","tag-ilia-topuria","tag-islam-makhachev","tag-ufc"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v23.8 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/wordpress\/plugins\/seo\/ -->\n<title>Islam Makhachev Fires Back at Ilia Topuria&rsquo;s &ldquo;Hypocrite&rdquo; Jab as UFC Lightweight Drama Heats Up - The Playoffs<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Islam Makhachev fires back at Ilia Topuria&rsquo;s &ldquo;hypocrite&rdquo; jab, escalating their UFC feud as Topuria eyes the lightweight title.\" \/>\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-fires-back-ilia-topurias-hypocrite-jab-ufc-lightweight-drama-heats-up\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Islam Makhachev Fires Back at Ilia Topuria&rsquo;s &ldquo;Hypocrite&rdquo; Jab as UFC Lightweight Drama Heats Up - 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