Ilia Topuria and Islam Makhachev Engage in War of Words on Social Media: Champions' Conflict Intensifies
The MMA world is heating up again: two decorated fighters, Ilia Topuria (16–0) and Islam Makhachev (27–1), engaged in a heated verbal exchange on social media. Their sharp statements about each other have become a major topic in the UFC community and may be a prelude to a future super fight.
The Beginning of the Conflict
It all started when Ilia Topuria, the former featherweight champion, vacated his title to move up to lightweight in pursuit of becoming a champion in a new division. His goal was a fight with reigning champion Islam Makhachev. However, Makhachev made an unexpected decision — to move up to welterweight and accept a fight against Australian Jack Della Maddalena for the title in that division.
This turn of events didn’t sit well with Topuria, who publicly accused Makhachev of hypocrisy:
Topuria:
"Makhachev is the biggest hypocrite I’ve ever seen. He said he didn’t want to give me that opportunity because I was a little boy, and now he’s the one acting like that little boy, chasing the same opportunity I was. Hypocrite."
Islam didn’t stay silent:
Makhachev:
"The difference between me and you is that I cleared out the top of my division and moved up, while you ran from two guys who had 5 to 9 wins in a row. You are nobody in lightweight. Just a loudmouth from Spain with a nice haircut. Win one fight and we’ll talk."
Ilia stood his ground and fired back:
Topuria:
"The difference between me and you is that I’m a man, and you’re a coward. I talk and fight, you talk and hide. Go on, run away, little boy."
Possible Fight in 2026?
While Makhachev prepares for a welterweight title bout, Topuria has a shot at the vacant lightweight title against former champ Charles Oliveira. If both win — Ilia in lightweight and Islam in welterweight — fans might witness one of the most anticipated fights in UFC history in 2026: champion vs. champion.
The UFC organization is likely closely monitoring the situation. Given Topuria’s charisma and Makhachev’s status, such a fight would draw massive attention. This social media clash may just be the beginning of a major promotional campaign worth watching.