lia Topuria seems to be adding more fuel to his rivalry with the Dagestani fighters. Currently, there has been a wave of Dagestani fighters in the UFC. Following the lead of the great Khabib Nurmagomedov, the likes of Islam Makhachev and more have emerged as dominant champions. However, with Merab Dvalishvili giving Umar Nurmagomedov his first loss, Topuria took this opportunity to take shots at Dagestanis.
He has also been actively trying to push the narrative of his fighting Islam Makhachev for a second belt. Recently, making an appearance on the ‘Full Send Podcast,’ Topuria went into a deep dive into why he thinks the Dagestanis are not the dominant fighters that people think they are.
“They try to beat you in the earlier rounds to feel that they can dominate you… but when they realize that it’s not like that, most of the time, they lose…,” ‘El Matador’ stated.
Ilia Topuria on Dagestani fighters:
— Championship Rounds (@ChampRDS) February 13, 2025
“They try to beat you in the earlier rounds to feel that they can dominate you… but when they realize that it’s not like that, most of the time they lose…
All the competitive fights, they lose.”
🎥 @fullsendpodcastpic.twitter.com/f4T48vIp7V
Topuria also claimed that these particular fighters do not have the same merits to excel in a highly competitive bout. Thus, more often than not, they are likely to lose. Meanwhile, as ‘El Matador’ continues to push for the Islam Makhachev fight, Paddy Pimblett had a solid reason on why the UFC might not allow such a swift transition.
Paddy Pimblett Gives His Take On Ilia Topuria’s Lightweight Dreams
The UFC featherweight champion has only had two major matches in the division. After his win against Alexander Volkanovski, Topuria just had Max Holloway. Thus, he does have a host of other contenders in the featherweight division to clear out first. And this is exactly why Paddy Pimblett thinks that a fight with Islam Makhachev at the moment is far-fetched.
Giving a Conor McGregor reference, Pimblett stated on the ‘LiveEchoLFC’ podcast, “I can’t see Ilia fighting Islam. He’s only defended the belt once… He’s not that big of a star to just jump – he’s not McGregor.”
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Paddy Pimblett doesn’t think Ilia Topuria will get a title fight against Islam Makhachev:
— Championship Rounds (@ChampRDS) February 11, 2025
“I can’t see Ilia fighting Islam. He’s only defended the belt once…
He’s not that big of a star to just jump – he’s not McGregor.”
🎥 @LivEchoLFC #UFC #MMApic.twitter.com/r15LMFCCcC
Thus, it is quite evident that ‘El Matador’ is trying to rile up the Dagestanis with his talks. Whether this is just a way to reach Islam Makhachev fast is something that we need to wait and find out in the future.
Also Read: Max Holloway Drops Major News Of His Return Following Crushing Loss To Ilia Topuria
