Makhachev ‘not interested’ in fighting Topuria: ‘What will that do for me?’

Ilia Topuria and his group have talked lots about transferring as much as light-weight and smashing 155 pound champion Islam Makhachev. Now Makhachev is firing again on the featherweight champ.

Topuria took the belt of Alexander Volkanovski and have become the primary man to knock out Max Holloway at UFC 308. His coach says he’ll be the primary to submit Makhachev, and Ilia drew numerous anger from Islam’s teammates after suggesting a avenue battle between the 2 would go the Georgian’s approach.

In a brand new interview with Russian outlet MatchTV, Makhachev sounded extra aggravated by Topuria than really offended.

“He’s a champion, he has to speak,” he stated. “We’ll 100% have some sort of dialog with him. He talks about me on a regular basis. He most likely desires to convey one thing, I don’t perceive what precisely. Let’s go outdoors and speak.”

As for a correctly sanctioned bout?

“We’ll battle if we have now to,” Makhachev stated. “By way of my preventing profession, I’m not focused on preventing Topuria in any respect. He’s in a unique weight class. I’ll beat him, and what is going to that do for me? I gained’t win one other belt. Everybody will as soon as once more say that I beat a featherweight. That’s it. But when folks actually wish to see him lose, then we will do it.”

That’s one thing Islam has already handled: he has spent the vast majority of his light-weight title reign preventing Volkanovski, which gained’t do a lot for him on paper in the long term. Even UFC CEO Dana White has shot down Islam’s P4P standing as a result of he fought down and never up. My brother, YOU booked him that approach!

“I’ve different targets. I wish to win a second belt,” he stated. “If you wish to stay in historical past, then you must do one thing memorable.”

Whereas a title shot at 170 kilos is what Makhachev is working in direction of, he’ll first need to rematch Arman Tsarukyan someday in early 2025. When precisely has develop into one thing of a thriller, however the Dagestani fighter is deep in coaching camp up at Kislovodsk Nationwide Park, which sits at 2600ft. elevation.

“I’m most likely approaching this battle in my finest form,” he stated. “I began getting ready three months prematurely. I feel that’s the most to strategy in 100% form. Earlier than, the earlier battle with Poirier, I had two months. I used to be not in form, I used to be on the highway. Once I discovered in regards to the battle, I used to be in Saudi Arabia, it was Ramadan. Usually, I had different plans. I needed to re-adjust, change.”