Islam Makhachev’s coach likes what he has seen from Ilia Topuria.
Topuria captured his second UFC title at the age of 28. After becoming the first fighter to knock out Max Holloway in a successful UFC featherweight title defense, “El Matador” captured the 155-pound gold by starching Charles Oliveira. Topuria vs. Oliveira was booked for the vacant lightweight title after Makhachev vacated the gold in an effort to chase the UFC Welterweight Championship.
American Kickboxing Academy head coach Javier Mendez spoke to Danny Segura on MMAJunkie‘s “Habelmos MMA,” and he heaped praise on Topuria. Mendez also sounded more open to the idea of Makhachev vs. Topuria in the near future.
“I like what he’s been doing,” Mendez said. “He’s doing a good job at getting people to want to watch the fight. The more Ilia does, the more people want to see this fight. I like everything he’s doing as a fighter. He’s very strong and doesn’t care about the weight. I think now it’s a great fight for us. The first thing Islam wanted was a legacy fight – he wanted the welterweight title. Now if we win the welterweight title, we can go down or he can come up. That’s what I say, but if the UFC doesn’t like it, it’s not happening. But first we need to win.”
Islam Makhachev is expected to challenge Jack Della Maddalena for the top welterweight prize in the UFC before the end of 2025. Rumors have swirled of a possible November date in Madison Square Garden.
As for Ilia Topuria, there are a slew of options in terms of who his first lightweight title challenger will be. The likes of Arman Tsarukyan, Justin Gaethje, and Paddy Pimblett appear to be viable options. A possible rematch with Max Holloway will have to wait, as “Blessed” revealed he suffered an injury during his UFC 318 bout with Dustin Poirier.
