Ilia Topuria: Georges St-Pierre can't hide excitement over Islam Makhachev vs. Ilia Topuria dream matchup

Islam Makhachev vs. Ilia Topuria could be one of the most exciting fights of 2025, says UFC Hall of Famer Georges St-Pierre.

Earlier this year, the Georgian-Spaniard shocked the world when he announced he would be relinquishing the featherweight belt to move up to 155 pounds. The 28-year-old has regularly expressed his interest in achieving double champ status and has his sights set on Makhachev for a number of months.

Meanwhile, Makhachev last stepped in the octagon back in January, where he defeated short-notice opponent Renato Moicano at UFC 311. Following his win, the Russian reiterated his willingness to defend his title against all comers, leading many to believe Topuria will be next.

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While nothing has been confirmed yet by the UFC, it's believed Makhachev vs. Topuria is being targeted for either UFC 317 in June for International Fight Week or an event in October.

Ahead of their potential bout, Georges St-Pierre shared his thoughts on the fight during a recent interview with Bloody Elbow. According to 'Rush', it would be the perfect fight for fans. He said:

"Topuria, when he touches, it [opponent] falls, you know? On the other hand, Makhachev applies so much pressure, he's an elite grappler. They're both good in every area. It's a great fight for the fans."

Check out St-Pierre's comments below:

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Featherweight contender weighs in on Islam Makhachev vs. Ilia Topuria

Movsar Evloev, who is tipped for a featherweight title shot in 2025, recently shared his thoughts on Islam Makhachev's potential title defense against Ilia Topuria.

According to Evloev, should Topuria lose the fight, it won't take anything away from his legacy as Makhachev is widely considered one of the best fighters in the world. Speaking to Russian news outlet @sport24_U, Evloev said:

"Well, if he [Topuria] loses to Islam [Makhachev], it won't take anything away from him. Because Islam is just on another level. Islam is bigger. Islam is the champion at a higher weight class. And Islam is also the P4P number one. So there's no shame in losing to Islam. It would be very silly to write him [Topuria] off just because he lost to Islam."

In regards to his own reported beef with Topuria, the featherweight contender added:

"He said some things he should not have said. But I think he said that not because he's got any animosity towards me or to prove something. I think that's just because he's not really smart."

Check out Movsar Evloev's comments below:

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Will began his tenure at Sportskeeda as an MMA writer over 2 years ago and has penned over 1800 pieces so far, including 35+ exclusives, which have garnered close to 5 million views.

Will graduated with a bachelor’s degree in Media and Communications from Bournemouth University, where he was also a valued member of their communications team. His degree heavily focused on social media and writing, which eventually led him toward sports writing.

He turned into an MMA fan after witnessing Conor McGregor’s 13-second TKO win over Jose Aldo at UFC 194 in 2015. The Irishman sits at the top of his list of top-five MMA fighters of all time, which also includes world champions like Demetrious Johnson, Michael Bisping, Max Holloway, and Georges St-Pierre.

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Edited by Tejas Rathi