Belal Muhammad doesn’t see the point. Ilia Topuria may have walked away from his featherweight belt, but Belal isn’t convinced that automatically qualifies him to challenge Islam Makhachev.
Topuria’s move to 155 has stirred up talk of a potential superfight, and the UFC might see dollar signs. However,Belal sees a bad deal for his teammate. He’s already watched Makhachev get discredited for beating a smaller Volkanovski, twice, and knows exactly how this would play out if Islam ran through Topuria.
“It’s crazy,” Belal told MMA Fighting. “They never want to give Team Khabib their respect. Islam beats the pound-for-pound best in Volk, and people still nitpick. ‘He’s just a 145er,’ they say. Then he finishes him in the rematch, and it’s still,
‘Well, Volkanovski’s a 45er.’ What’s the point of fighting Topuria then? He’s even smaller than Volk. If Islam dominates him, they’ll say the same thing again ‘Oh well, he’s not really a lightweight.’ There’s nothing to gain.”
And Belal’s right. Makhachev is the reigning, defending lightweight champ. He’s cleaned out former champions, proven himself time and again. Now Topuria wants to skip the line after dropping his belt and making zero defenses? That doesn’t sit well with Belal.
“This guy gave up his title willingly,” Belal said. “Didn’t defend it once. Volkanovski earned his shot at 15 he ran through everyone at 45. Topuria didn’t do that. He still had guys like Yair, Diego Lopes, and an undefeated Evloev to face. Instead, he just decided he didn’t want to cut weight anymore.”
That’s fine, but it comes with consequences. You don’t get a title shot at lightweight just because you looked good at featherweight. Especially not when you nearly got slept by Jai Herbert the one time you tried 155 in the UFC.
“We saw what happened when he fought Jai,” Belal said. “Got dropped. We saw Bryce Mitchell take him down too. If Islam gets on top, you’re not getting back up. If Islam lands that head kick? Same result. You’re not getting back up.”
Belal also pointed out that the UFC has no shortage of actual lightweight contenders. Gaethje, Tsarukyan, even Paddy Pimblett, who’s quietly stacking wins. And if Topuria really wants Makhachev, there’s a clear path.
“Let him fight Charles Oliveira,” Belal said. “Earn the shot. That’s what Islam’s saying not ‘I won’t fight him,’ but ‘make him earn it.’ That’s how this works. It shouldn’t be for an interim belt. It shouldn’t be for the real belt. Not yet.”
Rumors are swirling that Topuria might end up fighting on the UFC 317 card during International Fight Week. Whether that’s for a title or not remains to be seen. But for Belal Muhammad, one thing’s clear: the UFC lightweight champion doesn’t need Ilia Topuria to prove anything.
“He’s the best pound-for-pound fighter in the world,” Belal said. “He’s defended the belt more than anyone else at 155. He’s not ducking anyone. He just knows his worth—and Topuria hasn’t earned it yet.”
