Ilia Topuria Calls for “Pound-for-Pound” Catchweight Superfight with Islam Makhachev

Topuria didn’t just slide into the featherweight title, he bulldozed through the elite to get it. We’re talking a first-round sub over Ryan Hall (that BJJ wizard who tapped legends), a brutal KO of Jai Herbert, then decisioning top-5 killer Josh Emmett in a bloodbath main event. He submitted Bryce Mitchell (another grappling beast) at UFC 282, and don’t sleep on his unanimous decision war with Youssef Zalal. Then he starches Alexander Volkanovski in the second to snag the belt at UFC 298. And for his one defense? He folds Max Holloway like origami in the third round at UFC 308. That’s six UFC wins at 145 lbs against guys who’d eat 80% of the division for breakfast. If that’s “ducking,” then half the champs out there are ostriches

😳 Ilia Topuria wants to fight Islam Makhachev for a “pound-for-pound” title at a catchweight

“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… pic.twitter.com/oiLb3yLKtn

— Home of Fight (@Home_of_Fight) November 24, 2025

The Big Jump: Vacates FW and KOs Oliveira for LW Gold

After Holloway, Ilia wasn’t content, he vacated the featherweight strap in February 2025 (right before UFC 314’s main event) to chase bigger smoke up at lightweight. Fast-forward to June 28, 2025, at UFC 317: He steps in against former champ Charles Oliveira for the vacant 155 lb belt and ends it with a vicious first-round KO at 2:27. Oliveira’s a sub machine with 20+ finishes, but Topuria made him look human. That’s win #17, his ninth in the UFC, and it cements him as a two-division killer the 10th guy in history to pull that off. Performance of the Night bonus, obviously. At 28 years old, he’s got the hardware to back up the hype

The “Ducking” Drama?

Look, the beef with Arman Tsarukyan makes sense on paper Arman’s the #1 contender, and Ilia straight-up said today he’d vacate the lightweight belt before fighting him, citing that last-minute pullout from their scheduled January scrap. Fans are roasting him for eyeing Islam Makhachev at catchweight for some wild “pound-for-pound” belt idea (or even Paddy Pimblett next), but c’mon Topuria’s already beaten the FW top dogs and the ex-LW champ. He’s #2 P4P right now, and jumping divisions twice in a year? That’s not fear; that’s ambition. Islam himself said it’d take a fat UFC paycheck to lure him back to 155 for it. Ilia’s resume screams “I’ve earned the superfight” seven KOs, eight subs, zero losses. The haters just mad he won’t play by their script.

What’s Next? Ilia’s Calling the Shots, and It’s Electric

No fight’s booked yet Ilia even said in Qatar this week that the UFC hasn’t hit him up about anything, so January rumors (maybe vs. Pimblett to kick off the Paramount era) are just smoke for now. But if he gets his way, summer 2026 could be him vs. Makhachev for that custom belt, or straight to welterweight. Either way, with 17 bodies on his ledger (including Volkanovski, Holloway, and Oliveira), bro’s not ducking he’s dragon-hunting. Who’s your pick for his next victim? Pimblett for the trash talk payoff, or Islam to settle the P4P debate? Let’s hear it.

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