Ilia Topuria only needs one punch to put Islam Makhachev’s lights out.
‘El Matador’ is coming off an impressive 2024 campaign that saw him start the year with a stunning second-round knockout of Alexander Volkvanovski to win the UFC featherweight title. He then followed that up with another sensational finish, becoming the first man to KO ex-champion Max Holloway in his first 145-pound title defense at UFC 308.
#UFC308 TOPURIA BECOMES THE FIRST MAN TO KNOCK OUT MAX HOLLOWAY AAAAAAHHHH pic.twitter.com/KMSkoNnorP
— Eldragonair (@elmanity) October 26, 2024
Next on the docket for Topuria, in all likelihood, is a rematch with Volkanovski. But if Topuria gets his wish, he’ll get a chance at champ-champ status by taking on reigning lightweight king Islam Makhachev.
“I really believe that I can beat the current champion, Islam,” Topuria said on the Full Send Podcast. “I really think that. He’s a great champion. You can’t be a world champion by chance; you have to do things great. He’s a beast. I don’t like to be a bully and fight with people that I know 100 percent that I’m going to whoop his ass, you know?
“I like to fight with people that the fans think that it’s going to be very competitive. That kind of expectation I like to create. With Islam, I’m going to have that. Doing again the rematch with people that I already fought, I don’t think that I’m going to have the same kind of expectations, you know, for the fans.”
When rumors of their potential champion vs. champion clash began to swirl, Makhachev emerged as a 3-to-1 favorite to come out on top likely due to the significant advantage he holds on the wrestling side of things. Despite what the oddsmakers suggest, Topuria is confident that all he’ll need is one punch to put away the ‘Dagestani Destroyer.’
After all, he’s only needed one punch to finish things in five of his eight victories inside the Octagon.
“I have so many things against Islam that he’s gonna have some hard time with me, and something he knows and we all know is that the only thing I need, it’s one punch,” Topuria added. “You know for sure that I’m going to connect that one punch because I don’t throw my punches like crazy. I’m waiting for my moment and I apply a lot of technique behind that punch. I move my head and I know where to throw the punches.
“We all know at some point, I will connect that punch, and everything will depend on what God will decide. If he wants to send Islam to sleep or not, who knows that? I know that.”
“We all know at some point I WILL connect that punch, everything will depend on what God will decide… if he wants to send Islam to sleep or not”
Ilia Topuria with a CRAZY promo for a potential super fight with Islam Makhachev 😮💨 pic.twitter.com/Dg4eN5p5fF
— FULL SEND MMA (@full_send_mma) February 13, 2025
Ilia Topuria Confident He Can Submit Islam Makhachev
The one-hitter quitter may be Topuria’s favorite path to victory, but it’s not his only one. Even if things do hit the mat against Makhachev, ‘El Matador’ believes his well-roundedness will still prove to be too much for Khabib Nurmagomedov’s protege.
“I can also submit him,” Topuria said. “To be honest, I always say that I represent the new generation of mixed martial arts, and what that means, before you were saying guys were good in MMA, they were good in striking and maybe in wrestling, but their ground game wasn’t that good. Or you see a guy who has a phenomenal ground game, he has phenomenal striking, but his wrestling sucks.
“In my case, I’m good everywhere. So, you can take me everywhere and I’m gonna feel comfortable. They used to say, ‘I’m gonna take you to the deep water.’ I was born in the deep water. Take me wherever you want to take me.”
Watch the full podcast below:
