Ilia Topuria Confirms Interest In Becoming First UFC Triple Champion

During a pre-fight press conference ahead of his UFC 317 clash with Oliveira, Topuria declared he would be interested in a potential welterweight title shot against Islam Makhachev.

Topuria told media members in attendance, “If Islam becomes the welterweight world champion, for sure I’m going to push for that shot also.”

While he has teased a potential run at welterweight in the past, this time he has verbally confirmed he wants to challenge for a championship belt in a third division, a feat that has never been accomplished in UFC history.

At the top of his mind, the main goal is to secure that coveted fight against Makhachev that has alluded him for so long. Topuria has previously accused Makhachev of avoiding a potential lightweight bout, branding him a coward and claiming that the Dagestani fighter is running from the challenge.

“If he wins the title, and I win the title in the lightweight division, maybe I move up or he comes down to the lightweight division and we have the fight that everyone wants to see,” Topuria clarified further.

Topuria also expressed his frustration at the fact that he is not currently lined up with Makhachev, and must face Oliveira instead, saying, “To be honest, I wanted to face [Makhachev] because he was the guy who was dominating everyone in that weight division. But at the end of the day, I can’t control what they do.”

Despite his words about Makhachev, Topuria notes that he must remained focused on his upcoming fight with Oliveira.

“Every fight is a huge challenge,” Topuria said regarding the difficulty of fighting Oliveira compared to Makhachev. “There are no easy fights when you get on this level.”