Islam Makhachev responded to numerous inquiries from the media after arriving in Dagestan, one of which was if he would be willing to challenge champion Ilia Topuria at lightweight.
Makhachev vacated his lightweight championship earlier this year in pursuit of welterweight gold and was successful in his campaign. The Russian fighter dominated and dethroned Jack Della Maddalena at UFC 322. The welterweight division is presently stacked with several contenders on the rise. Carlos Prates, Ian Machado Garry, and Michael Morales, among others, want a title shot next.
However, fans want Makhachev to lock horns with Topuria.