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Ilia Topuria is doing the whole lot potential to dash in direction of a UFC Light-weight title shot, however 155-pound kingpin Islam Makhachev isn’t so satisfied.
On Wednesday, information broke that Topuria was vacating his Featherweight title and transferring up a division completely. He’s been speaking about combating Makhachev for months now, and plenty of imagine he wouldn’t have finished so with out guarantees of an prompt title shot. As well as, business insiders have reported that’s the UFC’s plan, and different bout bulletins like Paddy Pimblett vs. Michael Chandler help this concept as nicely.
The maintain up would seem like Makhachev. The present pound-for-pound king has defended his title 4 occasions now, and in a reasonably unusual run of circumstances, three of the 4 defenses had been in opposition to males finest identified for his or her work at 145-pounds. Makhachev has confronted critique for beating up Featherweights, although it’s hardly his fault that Arman Tsarukyan and Charles Oliveira each withdrew from deliberate rematches on the final second.
For that cause, nevertheless, Makhachev’s supervisor Rizvan Magomedov desires to see Topuria victorious at Light-weight earlier than he receives a title shot.
“Topuria vs Dustin/Charles contender combat, to show he’s legit light-weight,” Magomedov wrote on X. “So we don’t need to defeat one other ‘small featherweight’ We’d like huge combat that make sense for everybody. We already gave possibilities to featherweight champ that was reigning for very long time.”
It’s an affordable request from the Makhachev camp given the optics. Nevertheless, there’s not a much bigger combat obtainable to be booked at 155-pounds than Makhachev vs. Topuria. There’s monetary incentive for the UFC to e book it RIGHT NOW, reasonably than run the chance that Topuria comes up quick in opposition to the likes of Poirier or “Do Bronx.”
We’ll simply have to attend and see.
Insomnia
Israel Adesanya exhibits Dustin Poirier some love! In my e book, males like Poirier and Tony Ferguson have greater than earned the best to be known as champion with none asterisk …
At any time when I mentioned UFC 243 was my first tittle protection, some get salty. I contemplate my “Interim” tittle win a tittle win, any combat after that’s thought-about a tittle protection and a unification. Two issues will be true on the similar time . @DustinPoirier and I gained our belts on the identical… https://t.co/aVrJDSlb7X
— Israel Adesanya (@stylebender) February 20, 2025
Ah sure, that is the trash discuss combat followers know and love.
Matt Schnell’s MMA retirement lasted in regards to the applicable period of time — six or so months!
Matt Schnell — who laid down his gloves signaling his retirement this previous September — broadcasts that he is coming again for one more combat and the UFC has already granted his want #UFC pic.twitter.com/1APx7p41NE
— Damon Martin (@DamonMartin) February 20, 2025
Michael Chandler embraces “The Baddy” type and is already trying very match.
Completely hilarious matchmaking.
Seems like The Preventing Nerds are actually stretching the restrict of their tax write-offs.
If Alexander Volkanovski is just not victorious versus Diego Lopes, Max Holloway’s future abruptly seems to be brilliant at 145-pounds. He stands an affordable probability in opposition to each Lopes and Movsar Evloev …
Slips, rips, and KO clips
Does One Championship have an attention-grabbing Heavyweight on its arms?!?
Ducked proper into the pinnacle kick:
Breaking: Ilia Topuria confirmed to be actually cool, usually good at combating.
Random Land
Vaguely off-putting.
Midnight Music: Various, 1996
Sleep nicely Maniacs! Extra martial arts insanity is at all times on the way in which.
