Islam Makhachev and Ilia Topuria got their wish of becoming two-division champions. Still, both had to vacate the Lightweight and Featherweight titles to pursue their dreams. Though not made public, the consensus is that Dana White and the UFC didn’t want fighters to hold up weight divisions in pursuit of the double-champ status.
Former UFC Fighter Voices Opinion on Dana White’s Decision on Islam Makhachev and Ilia Topuria
Fight fans are split on the UFC’s decision to force Makhachev and Topuria to vacate the title, allegedly. However, a former UFC Middleweight seems to agree with Dana White, sharing his views on X, formerly Twitter.
“Having a two-division champion in MMA is such a bad idea. It holds up 2 divisions and takes away several meaningful fights. You should only get a double champ fight if you’ve cleared your division & defended your title at least 6+ times !” Derek Brunson wrote.
Brunson’s remark seemingly targets Topuria more than Makhachev. Having won the Featherweight title by defeating Alexander Volkanovski at UFC 298, Topuria only has one title defense, against Max Holloway at UFC 308. Meanwhile, Makhachev has four title defenses at Lightweight, a UFC record.
As for Brunson, the 41-year-old had a good UFC run but never fought for the title. He came close, losing a Middleweight title eliminator to Jared Cannonier at UFC 271. Having lost to notable names like Israel Adesanya, Anderson Silva, Yoel Romero, and Dricus du Plessis, the 41-year-old holds victories over Darren Till, Lyoto Machida, Kevin Holland, and others.
Topuria Throws Shade at Makhachev After White Announced UFC 317 Main Event
Soon after UFC CEO White announced Topuria vs. Charles Oliveira as the main event of UFC 317, “El Matador” posted on Instagram, directly poking fun at Makhachev.
“On June 28, another dream will come true. I’ll be the champion of the lightweight division. Charles, my apologies in advance… I’m just fighting for my dreams. It’s unfortunate that Makhachev ran away. 17-0,” the 28-year-old captioned the post.
Moreover, in a recent interview with Eurosport, the former Featherweight champion called Makhachev a hypocrite as the Russian did the same thing he wanted.
It didn’t take Makhachev long to respond. The 33-year-old criticized Topuria on X, mentioning that he moved up while two contenders, possibly hinting at Movsar Evloev and Diego Lopes, were there to fight.
“The difference between you and me is that I am a man and you are a coward. I speak and fight. You talk and hide. Run away far, leaving no trace,” Topuria responded on X.
Funnily enough, Makhachev would’ve fought Topuria at UFC 317 if Belal Muhammad had defeated Jack Della Maddalena at UFC 315. Had Muhammad won, Makhachev would’ve never vacated the title and moved up, as “Remember the Name” was a close friend.