“He Doesn’t Care About Audience” – Ilia Topuria Slams Islam Makhachev for Lackluster Performances

Lightweight champion Ilia Topuria slams Islam Makhachev for relying on wrestling and grappling at UFC 322.

“He Doesn’t Care About Audience” – Ilia Topuria Slams Islam Makhachev for Lackluster Performances

Ilia Topuria calls out Islam Makhachev's prowess (via MMA Fighting)

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Wrestling and grappling have often been underrated by fans who prefer striking, yet the UFC has recently seen a surge of dominant grapplers from Dagestan and the Caucasus. Islam Makhachev displayed that style at UFC 322 by controlling Jack Della Maddalena throughout the fight. Lightweight champion Ilia Topuria later called him out for relying too much on that approach.

At UFC 322, Makhachev blended wrestling with sambo to control every facet of the fight, repeatedly taking his opponent down and dictating the pace on the ground. He won by unanimous decision, with all three judges scoring it 50-45 in his favor. That victory made him a champion in two weight classes, a rare feat in UFC history. He also tied Anderson Silva’s record for the longest win streak in UFC.

Topuria’s rivalry with Makhachev has turned increasingly personal. After the bout, he publicly criticized Makhachev’s performance as “boring,” arguing that the fight lacked emotion. He doubled down on his critique, accusing Makhachev of hiding behind wrestling pressure rather than engaging in stand-up exchanges. He recently went on a heated rant about Makhachev’s performance at UFC 322.

Jack seemed completely unwilling to even be in the fight. In the end, Islam did his job. What he always does – fight super boring. He doesn’t care about the audience. But anyways, hopefully [me vs Islam] also happens. They would see a very desperate Islam trying to get a dominant position and catch his breath. And they would see me with a lot of spark to put him to sleep. Which in the end, I would achieve.”

Ilia Topuria via KOLmeneroMMA

The grappling blueprint Makhachev uses has proven successful for others, too, most notably Khamzat Chimaev. At UFC 319, Chimaev dominated Dricus Du Plessis in one of the most one-sided title fights in modern UFC history, converting 12 of 17 takedowns. DDP recently compared the Dagestani native’s performance at UFC 322 to his UFC 319 loss and spoke about finding a loophole for wrestlers.

By contrast, Topuria’s style is almost the mirror image of that grappling-heavy blueprint. He is known for his devastating knockout power. The Spaniard became the first fighter to stop Max Holloway and, at UFC 317, knocked out Charles Oliveira to win the lightweight title. His finish-first mentality sets him apart from high-pressure wrestlers.

The growing contrast between Makhachev’s grappling dominance and Topuria’s knockout power could shape the UFC’s next competitive era. A potential clash between them would go beyond championship stakes. It would pit two opposing combat philosophies against each other. The outcome could influence how future contenders approach success in modern MMA.

Ilia Topuria proposes a new belt for a potential Islam Makhachev fight

UFC CEO Dana White believed that Makhachev vs Topuria would be the obvious matchup after Makhachev won the welterweight belt at UFC 322. Topuria had already vacated his featherweight title and moved up to lightweight specifically to chase a fight with him. By the time he arrived in the division, Makhachev had moved up to 170 pounds, which created a new hurdle for Topuria’s pursuit.

Islam Makhachev vs. Ilia Topuria next?
Islam Makhachev vs. Ilia Topuria next? (Via X)

Makhachev has stated that he would easily defeat Topuria if they ever faced off in the Octagon and made it clear he has no plans to return to lightweight. He has repeatedly said that the 155-pound cut takes too much out of his performance. This stance led directly into Topuria’s proposal for a catchweight fight and pushed the idea of meeting Makhachev without requiring either man to change divisions.

Maybe I’ll have one more fight, and then in the summer there’s a date when [the UFC] can let me move up to welterweight. Or maybe they’ll create a new belt called the ‘pound-for-pound title,’ at a catchweight and I’ll fight for [it].

Ilia Topuria via KOLmeneroMMA

Ilia Topuria has long expressed ambitions of becoming a three-division UFC champion, moving from featherweight to lightweight and eyeing welterweight next. He has said he would go to 170 pounds if allowed to chase Islam Makhachev. With both fighters now holding belts in different divisions, the stakes extend beyond rivalry. Their potential clash could reshape UFC championship history.

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