Ilia Topuria names ideal rival for UFC white house event. Topuria has made it clear that fighting Islam Makhachev on the White House lawn would be more than just a spectacle , he believes it could go down as “one of the biggest fights in UFC history.”
UFC lightweight champion Ilia Topuria has revealed the fighter he believes would make the perfect opponent for what could be one of the most iconic moments in combat sports history which is the UFC event at the White House. In a recent interview, Topuria named Islam Makhachev as his ideal rival for the unprecedented showdown, describing it as “the biggest fight that could ever happen in UFC history.
“Islam Makhachev,” Topuria said during a press conference in Georgia (h/t She Loves the Gloves). “I think it would be one of the biggest fights in UFC history: no one has ever fought for a third title, and Islam has dominantly finished everything he needed to do in his division and then changed weight classes. I think it’s a fight of a giant magnitude, which suits us all, as well as the UFC.” The idea of a UFC event taking place at the White House was first hinted at by President Donald Trump and the UFC CEO Dana White, is reportedly working to make it part of the organization’s upcoming “America-250” celebrations.
Ilia Topuria gave up his featherweight title after knocking out Max Holloway at UFC 308 in October 2024. He wanted to move up to the lightweight division and win another championship. His plan was to face Islam Makhachev, who was the No. 1 pound-for-pound fighter in the world, and try to beat him. However, Makhachev also decided to leave his division. That opened the door for Topuria to win the vacant lightweight title, which he did with a dominant first-round knockout of Charles Oliveira at UFC 317 in June.
Makhachev is challenging Jack Della Maddalena for the welterweight title in the main event of UFC 322 in November. Should Makhachev get it done, Topuria reiterates future plans to make the move up to 170 himself. “If Islam loses, he may as well go back to Dagestan, to his farm and continue shepherding his sheep,” Topuria said. “But if he wins, I’ll definitely move up. Definitely. 100 percent.”
Following the final Contender Series event of 2025 on Tuesday UFC President Dana White has hinted that Topuria could headline the promotion’s first major event under its new Paramount+ streaming partnership. This would mark the beginning of a new broadcast era designed to expand the UFC’s reach in Europe and other international markets.. Topuria was asked the same question, and doubled down on White’s comments. “It’s very possible,” Topuria explained.
“I’m very happy that this new deal with Paramount was signed. There were some challenges with the ESPN deal in terms of holding events in Europe. For example, when we had conversations about holding a UFC event in Spain, they would always ask for it to be held at the American prime time, which is 4-5 a.m. in Spain. This, however, causes a lot of logistical challenges like transportation, restaurants, etc — the entire system. Now, with this new deal, [UFC] will be able to hold events in Europe at local prime time, which works well for all of us who live on this side of the ocean.”
Topuria’s dream fight with Makhachev would be a historic clash between two of the most dominant champions in modern MMA. From featherweight to lightweight, Topuria’s rise has been nothing short of explosive, and if the UFC ever brings the Octagon to the White House, “El Matador” looks ready to steal the spotlight once again.
