Islam Makhachev and Ilia Topuria's post UFC 315 story predicted by MMA star 

UFC lightweight king Islam Makhachev will be closely monitoring the outcome of the UFC 315 main event. Belal Muhammad will put his welterweight belt on the line against Jack Della Maddalena at the pay-per-view event currently taking place at Bell Centre in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. Still, the stakes ripple far beyond the division.

From Makhachev's perspective, if his friend Muhammad wins, the Dagestani will potentially stay put at 155 pounds as Ilia Topuria awaits a title shot next. If Della Maddalena pulls off the upset, Makhachev could bolt to 170 and pursue two-division glory.

Topuria, who vacated the featherweight throne earlier this year, has made his ambitions clear that he wants a lightweight title shot at UFC 317 in June. He’s eyeing either Makhachev or Charles Oliveira, depending on how the division shakes out. UFC CEO Dana White backed that direction, confirming Topuria is in line for a blockbuster headliner.

However, former UFC middleweight Derek Brunson has weighed in on how he sees the situation playing out. According to his prediction, Muhammad beats Della Maddalena, leading to Makhachev vs. Topuria being booked.

If Makhachev wins, he predicts that the MMA world will wonder why the fight happened in the first place. From Brunson’s lens, Topuria should have kept chasing history at 145 pounds.

Brunson took to X and wrote:

"Here’s how the story will go. 1. Belal [Muhammad] beats Jack [Della] Maddalena tonight. 2. Islam v Topuria is official for the [lightweight] title. 3. Islam beats Topuria. 4. We ask ourselves why did this fight ever happen. …Topuria should’ve kept racking up the wins at 145 and chasing history at featherweight. Why not sell out a soccer stadium in Spain? Let’s see if I’m right."

Check out Derek Brunson's X post below:

That cautionary view is echoed by Khabib Nurmagomedov, who’s been vocal about Topuria not earning a fast track to Makhachev. In his eyes, the former featherweight champ should beat a top lightweight like Oliveira before even being considered.

But Topuria has different plans. Riding knockout wins over Volkanovski and Holloway, he's betting on momentum. For now, Makhachev says he won’t vacate his lightweight crown even if he moves up, and that opens the door to a rare two-title reign.