“He’s too tiny” Ilia Topuria Gets Reality Check from Team Islam Makhachev’s Following his Potential Welterweight Move

Islam Makhachev's manager mocks Ilia Topuria's recent claims about the welterweight move.

“He’s too tiny” Ilia Topuria Gets Reality Check from Team Islam Makhachev’s Following his Potential Welterweight Move

Islam Makhachev's manager doesn't think Ilia Topuria is capable of fighting at welterweight (via X)

When it comes to supreme confidence and bold claims, Ilia Topuria is unmatched among the current UFC roster. The former featherweight champion makes outrageous statements and then delivers spectacular performances to silence his critics and doubters completely. Despite his impressive momentum and growing popularity, many question whether his recent welterweight ambitions are truly realistic or overly ambitious.

The fighter recently vacated his featherweight title and moved to lightweight, where he is now scheduled for a championship fight. However, with Islam Makhachev moving up, Topuria has boldly expressed his intentions to potentially chase the Dagestani pound-for-pound king. In a recent MatchTV interview, Makhachev’s manager Rizvan Magomedov dismissed Topuria’s ambitions and completely shut down any future possibilities.

He just talks a lot, tries to attract attention to himself… Nonsense. He’s so tiny. He won’t be able to do it.

Following Topuria’s lightweight debut, many fans and experts thought the same, given his short height and weight disadvantage. However, as the fighter prepares for his upcoming title fight with Charles Oliveira, the weight cut has been going very smoothly. According to the Georgian-Spanish, he has never felt so good during fight week and his power and stamina have also increased.

With only a few weeks to the fight, Topuria has already warned Oliveira that he would get a knockout finish. According to him, the Brazilian is a quitter who has tasted many losses and doesn’t share the same mentality as him. On the other hand, ‘Do Bronx’ is confident enough to get back the title that he had previously lost.

If Topuria wins the lightweight belt, he might move up, but Makhachev must first defeat Jack Della Maddalena. Their highly anticipated fight is expected later this year, possibly in Abu Dhabi or Della Maddalena’s hometown, Perth, Australia. Alongside the dominant Dagestani, Ilia Topuria has also emerged as one of the biggest stars in the current UFC roster.

Ilia Topuria gets praised by the newly crowned heavyweight champion

Ilia Topuria’s rise in the UFC has been phenomenal, marked by dominant performances and an undefeated streak across multiple divisions. His top knockouts include devastating finishes over Alexander Volkanovski and Max Holloway, showcasing his striking power and precise finishing ability.
Topuria’s trash-talking is fearless, calling out his opponents, predicting knockouts long before their scheduled fight.

Ilia Topuria is regarded as the new face of UFC
Ilia Topuria is regarded as the new face of UFC (via X)

His confident personality shines through bold predictions, like promising to become a three-division champion before turning thirty, stunning everyone watching. In the last one year, he has become a fan favorite and now has better odds to beat top lightweights. Newly crowned heavyweight champion Tom Aspinall recently talked about the fighter in detail and shared his unbiased view.

He’s got devastating power. Great grappling as well, links everything together so well. Great for the sport – obviously, Georgian slash Spanish guy, so he’s mixing up nationalities. For me, he’s the future of MMA. He’s the next step.

As expected, most fans also believe Topuria is going to take the win and this sentiment is also shared by many experts. Despite being a fan favorite fans don’t think Oliveira has the tools to beat Topuria.Here are some fan predictions ahead of UFC 317.

With fighters like Conor McGregor, Jon Jones leaving the promotion, UFC needs fighters and personalities like Topuria. This Saturday, he has the opportunity to boost his popularity to the next level. Getting a first-round KO would be the cherry on the cake for the fighter.

Also Read:

Dana White asks Ilia Topuria to Pump Brakes on Chasing Islam Makhachev at 170-pound Division

“1 Out of 10000,” Ilia Topuria’s Power Could Overwhelm Charles Oliveira, Predicts Jorge Masvidal