3 reasons why the UFC should book Islam Makhachev vs. Ilia Topuria - and 2 reasons why it's a bad idea

Lightweight champion Islam Makhachev and featherweight kingpin Ilia Topuria are among the most dominant titleholders in the UFC today. Are they now on a collision course?

Veteran UFC commentator Joe Rogan has recently stated that the promotion should book Islam Makhachev vs. Ilia Topuria in a champion vs. champion fight, but is this a good idea?

As always with these kind of things, there are arguments both for and against booking this superfight.

With that in mind, then, here are three reasons why the UFC should book Islam Makhachev vs. Ilia Topuria - and two reasons why it's a bad idea.

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#3. Ilia Topuria may need to move up to 155 pounds anyway and could be willing to drop his featherweight title

When Ilia Topuria first hinted that he wanted to move to 155 pounds following his win over Max Holloway, exactly what he said was curious.

Firstly, 'El Matador' didn't instantly call out Islam Makhachev for a champion vs. champion fight. Instead, he stated that he'd like a fight with top contender Charles Oliveira instead. Topuria also claimed that he might've fought his last fight at 145 pounds already, and would be willing to relinquish his featherweight title.

How much can be taken from what he said is a fair question, but on the surface, it does appear that 'El Matador' is taking a different slant at becoming a two-division champion to say, Conor McGregor or Amanda Nunes.

That's because, according to his coach, the Spanish-Georgian fighter isn't a fan of cutting weight and finds it hard to reach the 145-pound featherweight cut-off point.

If that is the case, and Topuria really is pushing his body to the limit to make 145 pounds, then perhaps it'd be better for his overall health to make the move up.

After all, 'El Matador' has already fought once in the UFC as a lightweight, beating Jai Herbert in March 2022.

It'd be a shame for Ilia Topuria to leave the featherweight title behind after just one defense, but if he's really struggling to reach the 145-pound mark, then moving up is the right thing to do.

And if that's the case, then why not book him against Islam Makhachev while his featherweight title reign is still at the forefront of everyone's mind?

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#2. Ilia Topuria doesn't have a clear-cut top contender right now

In most cases, the argument against a reigning UFC champion moving up in weight to take on a heavier titleholder is usually that they're dodging a top contender.

That was the case for Alex Pereira, for instance, with many fans accusing him of avoiding Magomed Ankalaev when a potential move to heavyweight was mooted.

For Ilia Topuria, though, things are a little different.

Right now, 'El Matador' doesn't have a clear-cut top contender waiting for him to face. There are viable names, of course, but each one has an asterisk against them.

Former titleholder Alexander Volkanovski had a dominant reign as champ and could argue for a rematch. However, the Australian has also not won a single fight since losing to Topuria, and is also an ageing fighter.

Diego Lopes has been on a tear, winning five in a row, but probably needs one more win to push him over the hump.

Movsar Evloev's winning run is even longer - he's unbeaten at 19-0. However, the Russian lacks an entertaining fighting style, and has never achieved a career-defining finish to this point.

Now, then, might be the right time for Topuria to step up to 155 pounds. If he does this, the UFC could either crown a new champion by matching any combination of the afore-mentioned fighters, or even crown an interim champ, should 'El Matador' intend to return to featherweight.

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#1. Islam Makhachev vs. Ilia Topuria would be a huge fight that would draw a lot of attention to the UFC

While longtime fans of the UFC still like to view it as a meritocracy, the truth is that - like boxing - the promotion thrives on putting together the biggest fights possible.

Right now, there would be few fights bigger than a champion vs. champion clash between Ilia Topuria and Islam Makhachev. Both men on the top of their games, both are riding lengthy winning streaks dating back years, and both have cut a path of destruction through their respective weight classes.

More than that, though, the stylistic match would be an intriguing one, and the size difference wouldn't be too big for Topuria to overcome.

Would 'El Matador' be able to use his strong wrestling and power punching to take Makhachev out on the feet? Or would the Dagestani's arsenal of takedowns and throws ensure that he could once again dominate on the ground?

Longtime commentator Joe Rogan might be controversial at times, but at the end of the day, he's also a huge fan of MMA.

There's a reason that he's calling for Ilia Topuria vs. Islam Makhachev, and it isn't because he simply wants the UFC to draw a big pay-per-view buyrate. It's because - on paper at least - the fight would be both huge and fantastic. And that in itself is reason enough for the UFC to book it.

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Despite this, there are a couple of reasons why it wouldn't be a good idea for the UFC to book Islam Makhachev vs. Ilia Topuria. Here are two of them.

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#2. Islam Makhachev has not yet cleared out the lightweight division

While Ilia Topuria has not cleared out his contenders at 145 pounds, as we already discussed, there isn't a concrete top contender for him to face there right now.

The same, however, cannot be said for Islam Makhachev.

The Dagestani captured the lightweight title back in October 2022, and has already defended it successfully on four occasions, setting a UFC record.

However, two of those fights were against last-minute replacements, following the withdrawal of Makhachev's original opponent.

Add in the fact that his first defense came in a superfight with featherweight champ Alexander Volkanovski, and there's an argument that Makhachev has only defended against one top lightweight - Dustin Poirier.

With both Charles Oliveira and Arman Tsarukyan still deserving of a title shot, then, it's fair to say that Makhachev just hasn't beaten every available contender at this stage.

Therefore, to allow him to face Ilia Topuria in another champ vs. champ superfight might be a little unfair to those two fighters - even if some would argue for matching them together to produce one clear-cut top contender.

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#1. It isn't fair to let Ilia Topuria jump the queue at 155 pounds

Arguably the best argument against the UFC booking a champ vs. champ fight between Islam Makhachev and Ilia Topuria is that 'El Matador' just hasn't earned a shot at the lightweight title.

Sure, champ vs. champ fights always do well at the box office, and this one would absolutely be no exception. However, that doesn't make it fair to book.

Allowing Topuria - who has not fought at 155 pounds since 2022 and has only beaten Jai Herbert there - to jump the queue would be a slap in the face of a number of fighters, most notably Arman Tsarukyan.

Tsarukyan earned a title shot by beating the likes of Beneil Dariush and Charles Oliveira, and was only forced out of a planned shot at Makhachev due to an injury. That wasn't his fault.

For the Armenian to then have to wait for Ilia Topuria to take his shot at Makhachev, then, seems very harsh indeed.

Essentially, if 'El Matador' is serious about a permanent move to 155 pounds - and based on the words of his coach, he may well be - he should earn a shot at the champion.

In the future, Ilia Topuria vs. Islam Makhachev might make sense, but right now, from a meritocratic point of view, that isn't the case.