“Another short guy talking” – Falling for VIRAL quote, Ilia Topuria disses Islam Makhachev day after expressing admiration for teammate Khabib

UFC champion, Ilia Topuria claps back online at lightweight champion, Islam Makhachev after reported "short guy" comments.

“Another short guy talking” – Falling for VIRAL quote, Ilia Topuria disses Islam Makhachev day after expressing admiration for teammate Khabib

Ilia Topuria talks about Islam Makhachev (Image via Imago)

Newly crowned UFC featherweight champion, Ilia Topuria and UFC lightweight champion, Islam Makhachev‘s online back and forth has gone viral on social media. The two fighters have generated significant interest in a potential matchup between the two. Here is what happened:

UFC featherweight champion, Ilia Topuria has been vocal about his ambitions in the lightweight division. Recently, he called out Islam Makhachev for a potential fight for the title. Makhachev reportedly responded to Topuria’s callout saying: 

Another short guy is talking. Another short guy wants to be smashed.
Islam Makhachev via X
YouTube video

Topuria responded by posting a clip of Makhachev’s 2015 loss to Adriano Martins. That fight marked Islam Makhachev’s only loss in the UFC. Given Makhachev’s previous wins, many expected him to continue his winning streak against Martins. However, Martins knocked out Makhachev during UFC 192. After Topuria’s victory at UFC 298, he called out Makhachev, saying he was in trouble. Topuria had stated that he wanted to defend his featherweight title belt at least once before fighting Makhachev.

FS Video

Ilia Topuria had recently praised Makhachev’s predecessor, Khabib Nurmagomedov‘s record and legacy in MMA. Topuria also called for a shot against Nurmagomedov and said in an interview that he would “100%” beat him in a dream fight. Nurmagomedov reigned the lightweight division with an undefeated record of 29 wins and 0 losses.

Fans react to Ilia Topuria dissing Islam Makhachev on X

Ilia Topuria and Islam Makhachev’s online banter caught the attention of fans on social media. People went to the comment section to share their reactions. Here are some of the reactions from X:

https://twitter.com/chummythunder/status/1762244105424224389
https://twitter.com/alainarog3rss/status/1762098896145190956
https://twitter.com/Giving0Fck/status/1762146746707144889

People were amused by the online back-and-forth between the two champions. Some fans expressed excitement at the anticipation of a showdown between the two champions. Meanwhile, others said that Islam Makhachev should never accept such a fight. Others wrote that Topuria would soon lose his belt in the face of opponents like Max Holloway. It will be interesting to see where this rivalry between the two divisional champions heads towards in the future.

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