Dana White rules out possibility of booking Islam Makhachev vs. Ilia Topuria after UFC 308

Dana White recently dismissed the notion of Ilia Topuria moving up a weight class to challenge the 155-pound divisional king, Islam Makhachev. White provided the example of Max Holloway to justify why he doesn't want Topuria to change weight classes right now.

Topuria is all set to defend UFC featherweight gold for the first time in the main event of UFC 308 in Abu Dhabi. The Spaniard has been pretty bold throughout the buildup to the fight, along with firing an array of disses at Holloway.

Topuria has also taken jibes at several other UFC stars during this period, including Makhachev and welterweight champion Belal Muhammad. In an episode of The Ariel Helwani Show earlier this month, 'El Matador' clarified that he has no personal issues with Makhachev. Instead, he just wants to compete with the Dagestani for his UFC lightweight championship.

However, in a recent interview with TMZ Sports, White expressed his disapproval of the 145-pound king's desire to challenge Makhachev. The UFC head honcho implied that Topuria can consider moving up to lightweight once he's "wiped out" his division. The UFC CEO said:

"Before we start talking about guys moving up to other weight classes, I mean, look at Max Holloway. When he moved up, he had wiped out the entire division [and proved to be] the best 145-pounder, and then Volkanovski [did the same]. So there’s plenty of challenges [left] for him [Topuria] at 145."

Check out Dana White's comments below:

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Belal Muhammad warns Ilia Topuria about the consequences of beefing with Dagestani UFC fighters

While Ilia Topuria doesn't have any personal issues with Islam Makhachev, the Georgian-Spaniard has claimed that he wants to be the first to submit the reigning lightweight champion and has made unsavory remarks about the Dagestani's team.

Notably, Belal Muhammad warned him about facing severe consequences for disregarding the capabilities of Makhachev's team. In a recent interview with MMA Fighting, Muhammad said:

"He needs to focus on Holloway, who's in front of him. You don’t want to disrespect the guys from Dagestan because if they see you in person, they’re going to slap you, right? They don’t take that stuff lightly. They don’t play the trash-talk game. It’s real life for them, and I think he took offense to that. But he’s in that mode right now where he's still trying to find himself and convince fans that he’s this trash talker, this bad guy."

Check out Belal Muhammad's comments below (16:28):