"Ego check incoming" - Fans react to Ilia Topuria's "arrogant" claim about Islam Makhachev, Charles Oliveira, and 3 other UFC lightweights

MMA fans have been reacting to Ilia Topuria's latest comments, which have seen the featherweight champion boldly claim he would have no issues putting away some of the biggest names in MMA.

'El Matador' is currently preparing to defend the 145-pound title for the first time when he faces Max Holloway at UFC 308 on Oct. 26. The pair will headline the night of action, which takes place at the Etihad Arena in Abu Dhabi.

Since picking up the title with a knockout win over Alexander Volkanovski back in February, Topuria's confidence has skyrocketed. Not only did he predict his victory over the Australian, The Georgian-Spaniard has since gone a step further by claiming he would have no issues fighting and defeating some of the biggest names in the lightweight division, including Islam Makhachev and Charles Oliveira.

Courtesy of Championship Rounds on X, Ilia Topuria said on his Instagram:

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"With me, it's going to be very difficult. And even more so at [lightweight]. If I didn't have to cut weight, my goodness. My goodness. I could fight all of them in the same night. All of them."

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Fans have since had their say, with many opting to call out the featherweight champion for his ego and arrogance. One fan wrote:

"Ego check incoming"

Another fan said:

"This dude so arrogant"

One fan added:

"And this is why he is annoying. Trying to show confidence but this is arrogance."

One fan said:

"That’s a fine line between confidence and delusion"#

Another fan wrote:

"I’m not sure he could beat any of them."

X user @garoushi69 said:

"Ilia barely beats like 4 out of the top 15 at LW"

Check out more reactions here:

Ilia Topuria sets sights on double champ status

Ilia Topuria has revealed he is already looking past his next opponent, Max Holloway, and has his eyes on a potential super fight against Islam Makhachev.

'El Matador' is keen to start shattering records in the UFC, and believes his future includes earning the coveted double champ status. Topuria wants to take it a step further, however, and defend both the featherweight and lightweight titles simultaneously, should he ever hold both.

Speaking in a recent Instagram Live, Topuria said:

"How many times [will people ask] already, right? Absolutely. Of course... Makhachev, real soon. [I] hope Makhachev will be next after this fight. [I] hope after this fight."

Check out Ilia Topuria's comments here:

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Will began his tenure at Sportskeeda as an MMA writer over 2 years ago and has penned over 1800 pieces so far, including 35+ exclusives, which have garnered close to 5 million views.

Will graduated with a bachelor’s degree in Media and Communications from Bournemouth University, where he was also a valued member of their communications team. His degree heavily focused on social media and writing, which eventually led him toward sports writing.

He turned into an MMA fan after witnessing Conor McGregor’s 13-second TKO win over Jose Aldo at UFC 194 in 2015. The Irishman sits at the top of his list of top-five MMA fighters of all time, which also includes world champions like Demetrious Johnson, Michael Bisping, Max Holloway, and Georges St-Pierre.

Will especially enjoys working on event days and feels his contribution to Sportskeeda’s UFC 300 coverage was one of the high points of his time with the organization. He ensures his articles are accurate by going through multiple sources, which also helps his writing be as informative as possible.

His interests away from work include football, gaming, live streaming, and listening to music.

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Edited by Anurag Mitra