Islam Makhachev vs. Ilia Topuria Gets a Grim Verdict as UFC Veteran Exposes “Toxic” Truth

Since Ilia Topuria vacated his featherweight crown to storm the lightweight division, the future of 155 pounds hangs in limbo. Why? Because ‘La Leyenda’ has his sights set on lightweight gold, yet both Islam Makhachev and Khabib Nurmagomedov seem unwilling to welcome him. That cold shoulder has fired up fans, especially after Topuria accused Makhachev of ducking him: “I’m the one to take the belt from Islam. That’s the only reason he doesn’t want the fight.” As the chaos brews, Beneil Dariush has stepped in to offer his take on the lightweight drama.

Islam Makhachev is on a shaky path right now. If the lightweight champ defeats Ilia Topuria, he’ll be labeled as someone who only fights featherweights. If he loses to Topuria, critics will hound him. And if he chooses not to fight Topuria at all, he’ll still face backlash. No matter what the Dagestani does, he will be criticized for his actions by the MMA community. When asked about the exact situation to Beneil Dariush, the Iranian-American fighter said, “Yeah, there’s truth to that for sure. I mean, it’s not like Islam is gonna be the underdog for this fight.”

He further added, “If you look at Ilia’s fights, he has been taken down. He can be taken down; it’s not impossible, right? So, I don’t know. I would definitely lean towards Makhachev. It’s one of those things where the MMA community can be very toxic. This is one of those cases where it’s like, ‘Oh, you gotta fight this guy.'”

When Ilia Topuria relinquished his title, it was clear that he did so with the intention of challenging Islam Makhachev for the lightweight belt. However, reality hit the Spanish-Georgian fighter hard when former lightweight champion Khabib Nurmagomedov denied him the title shot, stating that he must first prove himself against a top 155-pound contender before stepping into the Octagon with Makhachev. This statement caught the attention of Topuria who claimed that the entire Team Khabib is ducking him as they know that their star will be defeated.

Well, is this the fault of the lightweight champion? Certainly not. The Dagestani has been called out by the MMA community time and time again over the fact that two of his title defenses were against Alexander Volkanovski, the featherweight champion. He has also defeated Dustin Poirier and Renato Moicano in the lightweight division, but it must be noted that Moicano was merely a late replacement for Arman Tsarukyan, who pulled out at the very last minute.

Beneil Dariush feels Islam Makhachev is in a lose-lose situation by fighting Ilia Topuria

“It’s one of those things where the MMA community can be very toxic, and this is one of those cases.”
@InsideFighting_ pic.twitter.com/9v4NIHNKqh

— Red Corner MMA (@RedCorner_MMA) May 2, 2025

Rumors suggest that the Dagestani is waiting for the May 11th clash between Belal Muhammad and Jack Della Maddalena’s welterweight title fight to reveal his next steps. A victory for Muhammad could mean Makhachev faces Ilia Topuria, but a win for Della Maddalena would almost certainly push Makhachev to pursue his dream of fighting for the welterweight title. Well, Islam Makhachev looks like he’s halting the lightweight division, and the UFC CEO is furious about it, at least as per Chael Sonnen.

Chael Sonnen calls out Islam Makhachev for not taking Ilia Topuria fight

Islam Makhachev wants to fight for the welterweight title, as his dream is to hold two belts in the UFC. This is one of the primary reasons he has been unwilling to take the fight against Ilia Topuria, which has drawn the ire of Chael Sonnen. Taking to his YouTube handle, the former UFC middleweight title challenger expressed his disappointment with Islam Makhachev, “Ilia Topuria just did what Islam wants to do. Islam’s not allowed to do it. Ilia did do it.”

He further added, “There cannot be a precedence where the inmates are running the asylum… That will not happen. He’s not doing it. He’s not going out. He’s not seeking it. He’s not lobbying. He’s not campaigning for it. But if the opportunity came to him to go up, even if the opponent was Belal, he would take it. Ilia hasn’t done anything in this weight class.” Chael doesn’t hold back on that logic, “We’ll just take that same argument and stick it up your a– at 170 where you haven’t done anything.

Chael Sonnen has only one argument against Islam Makhachev: the Dagestani shouldn’t duck Ilia Topuria, claiming that Topuria has yet to prove himself in the lightweight division, while Makhachev himself is pursuing a welterweight title fight without proving his worth in that division.

Sonnen concluded his statement by saying, “That is not the attitude of our number one contenders. Ilia did have one tremendous difference which is the courage to vacate… He fought the absolute best at [1]45… now he’s trying to fight the absolute best at [1]55.”  As the date of International Fight Week draws near, Dana White’s patience is wearing thin, and Islam Makhachev will have to take the fight, or vacate the belt. Given that, what are your thoughts on their ultimate clash? State your opinion in the comments below.

The post Islam Makhachev vs. Ilia Topuria Gets a Grim Verdict as UFC Veteran Exposes “Toxic” Truth appeared first on EssentiallySports.