Ilia Topuria's pursuit of the lightweight title against Charles Oliveira at UFC 317 is marked by a surprising split with his longtime coaches, Jorge a

Chael Sonnen believes Islam Makhachev wanted no part of Ilia Topuria. After Belal Muhammad lost his welterweight title to Jack Della Maddalena at UFC 315, Makhachev (27-1 MMA, 16-1 UFC) vacated his lightweight title for a move up to 170 pounds.

Paddy Pimblett fires back at Ilia Topuria with a sharp “El Chorozio” jab, keeping their heated UFC rivalry alive and entertaining fans.

The pair met on the undercard of UFC 264, a high-profile event that was headlined by Conor McGregor’s trilogy fight against Dustin Poirier. In the lead-up, Topuria spoke to UFC.com and dismissed any concern over Hall’s unique style. ‘El Matador’ predicted that he would avoid any surprises and “smash” the American’s face.

Topuria (16-0 MMA, 8-0 UFC) is unbeaten in his professional MMA career and is coming off back-to-back knockouts of featherweight greats Alexander Volkanovski and Max Holloway. While Pimblett (23-3 MMA, 7-0 UFC) credits Topuria for his accolades, he thinks timing played a major factor in his success.

Georgian brothers will have their own team after parting ways with the Climents, with whom they reached elite status in the UFC.

“If Islam [Makhachev] beats Jack Della Maddalena…Islam vs. Topuria. These two are destined to meet,” Bisping continued. “If Islam goes up to 170 and becomes the champ, Ilia Topuria is going to say, ‘I want to go up to 170.’ … Given the star power Ilia Topuria has, there’s a really good chance the UFC makes that matchup.”

Islam Makhachev has received support from a UFC vet amidst ducking allegations as he ignores the Ilia Topuria matchup at lightweight.