“I’d always like to do the biggest thing possible” - Ilia Topuria’s coach calls for champ vs. champ fight against Islam Makhachev next

Ilia Topuria and his team are confident in his ability to become a two-division champion.

Despite just winning the UFC featherweight belt at UFC 298, Topuria's coach and friend, Jorge Climent, told MMA Junkie that he hopes to see his fighter take on a new challenge at lightweight. Climent said he believed a title defense against former champion Alexander Volkanovski is in Topuria's future but he believes the 15-0 Spaniard can also be the best in the world at 155 pounds.

In Spanish, Climent told MMA Junkie:

"As [Ilia Topuria's] trainer, I'd always like to do the biggest thing possible to leave a legacy behind. The fight I would like the most would be against [UFC lightweight champion Islam Makhachev]... If Volkanovski, with preparation, gave him the fight he gave him, I think Ilia can bang up Makhachev."

Climent noted that he has not spoken much with Topuria on who they would like to face next and is not directly asking for a fight with Makhachev, but rather sees it as the biggest possible fight in an ideal world. No active UFC champion has moved up a division to challenge for a second belt without a title defense besides Conor McGregor in 2016.

Makhachev does not currently have a title defense booked but has openly stated his desire to fight in June against Dustin Poirier. The lightweight champion is currently fasting for Ramadan, thus halting his championship training.

Watch the full interview with Jorge Climent in Spanish from the Hablemos MMA YouTube channel below:

---

Has Ilia Topuria ever fought at lightweight?

At 15-0, Ilia Topuria has defeated every opponent he has faced so far. Since his professional debut in 2015, Topuria has spent the majority of his career at his natural featherweight but has also competed at bantamweight and once at lightweight.

In 2022, Topuria stepped in on short notice in his fourth UFC fight against Englishman Jai Herbert on a Fight Night card in London. Topuria was knocked down in the first round from a head kick, giving him the most adversity of his career, but bounced back with one of the most vicious knockouts of the year.

The win over Herbert gave 'El Matador' his first post-fight bonus in the UFC with a Performance of the Night recognition.

In his following fight, Topuria dropped back down to featherweight and submitted Bryce Mitchell to enter the top-10 rankings of the division.