Despite being on hiatus, Ilia Topuria has not hesitated to call out newly minted UFC welterweight kingpin Islam Makhachev again.
Topuria has stepped away from fighting for personal reasons and will be back after the first quarter of 2026. In the meantime, Justin Gaethje and Paddy Pimblett will fight at UFC 324 for the interim lightweight championship, and the winner will fight ‘El Matador’ to unify the titles when he returns.
Topuria recently appeared in an interview with Eldoberdan MMA and fired shots at Makhachev. The Georgian-Spaniard alleged that the P4P king has not signed the deal to fight him.