'As You Wish!' Islam Makhachev Shifts His Tone on Ilia Topuria Superfight

This left Topuria to face the dangerous former champion, Charles Oliveira, for the vacant lightweight belt at UFC 317, where he cemented himself in UFC history with a brutal knockout victory to become a two-division champion.

While a fight for the welterweight belt is still in his immediate future, the former UFC lightweight champion, Makhachev, has since dramatically shifted his position on a potential superfight with Topuria.

During a recent Eagle FC press conference (posted on the Ushatayka YouTube channel), the former lightweight champion revealed he is open to the matchup fans have been clamoring for. 

When asked about what weight class his next fight would take place at, Makhachev stated, “I can't say for sure. There's some intrigue with Topuria. I myself am also interested in that fight. Maybe it will be possible to make some kind of super fight.”

This declaration marks the first time Makhachev has openly and explicitly expressed personal interest in the matchup, having previously implied that the UFC may be trying to build up a fight between the two after knocking him off the no. 1 spot in the pound-for-pound rankings and placing Topuria at the top.

Another fan in the crowd told Makhachev, “I want to ask you to return to lightweight so you can destroy Topuria so he can finally shut up and not say anything about fighters from Dagestan.”

To respond, Makhachev offered a brief but telling answer, saying, "As you wish!"

Makhachev, however, also expressed hesitation that appears to stem from the physical transformations his body has undergone during his move to welterweight. 

He explained, "If after the fight I go up to 85 or 86 [kilos], then I'm not sure. Cutting down [to lightweight] was never easy, so we'll have to sit down with the team and figure out what the next move is."

The struggle of cutting weight is one that Ilia Topuria knows firsthand. After winning the lightweight belt, the Spaniard spoke to Ariel Helwani to briefly acknowledge the grueling nature of weight cuts as a legitimate reason for Makhachev to move up to welterweight.

However, Topuria has also teased a potential move up to welterweight, which could make it easier for Makhachev since he would not have to cut back down to lightweight.

UFC CEO Dana White has previously expressed interest in booking a champion-versus-champion matchup, stating, “If Islam wins [against Della Maddalena] that’s the fight to make.”

The potential superfight now depends on several factors, including Makhachev's success against Della Maddalena, his ability to once again make the lightweight limit after competing at welterweight, and whether or not Topuria would make an unprecedented move up to welterweight.

Regardless of the weight class, Makhachev's newfound openness to facing Topuria may be a sign that a long-awaited showdown between two of the sport's most dominant champions could happen after months of callouts and verbal jabs.