Ilia Topuria vs. Charles Oliveira announcement debacle might be hiding more than meets the eye, says ex-UFC veteran

Recently, news surfaced about Ilia Topuria's potential fight against Charles Oliveira, leaked by the Spanish UFC broadcast. This exciting news garnered a considerable amount of attention within the community, with former UFC fighter Josh Thomson sharing his thoughts on the matchup.

For context, after an undefeated run in the UFC featherweight division, Topuria recently moved to the 155-pound division. However, there has been no official confirmation from the promotion regarding Topuria's upcoming opponent.

In a recent discussion on the WEIGHING IN podcast, Thomson offered a detailed assessment of the situation surrounding a potential fight between 'La Leyenda' and 'Do Bronx'. While hinting at the possibility of a BMF title fight involving both fighters, he said:

"Because UFC always tells the truth, correct?... I mean this fight could be possibly happening. I mean I remember Charles Oliveira's manager or trainer whatever said, 'No, absolutely not, we're not taking that fight unless it's for a title, that's the only time we'll take it.'"

Thomson continued:

"Maybe it's for the BMF title, I doubt it but I wouldn't be surprised to be honest if somehow someway they got to Ilia [Topuria] and said, 'Hey, you have to fight this person.' And I'm not, I wouldn't be surprised if they [UFC] told Charles [Oliveira] like, 'You're not getting a title shot you fight this fight."

Check out Josh Thomson's comments below (1:45:23):

---

Merab Dvalishvili believes Ilia Topuria is the deserving contender for Islam Makhachev's UFC lightweight title

In recent weeks, Ilia Topuria has repeatedly called out UFC lightweight champion, Islam Makhachev. However, Makhachev has consistently dismissed the idea of fighting Topuria, citing various reasons. One of the prominent reasons he provides is his belief that the Spaniard does not deserve an immediate title shot.

However, Merab Dvalishvili disagrees with the Dagestani fighter. In a recent interview on The Ariel Helwani Show, the UFC bantamweight champion expressed his reasons for supporting a matchup between Topuria and Makhachev by saying:

"Ilia has to fight Islam Makhachev, especially since he vacated his featherweight belt and is no longer at 145. He’s the most deserving contender for the 155 title. But somehow, Islam Makhachev is ignoring him. I’m sure everyone remembers that Islam once told me just one thing at a press conference: ‘Merab, I respect you, but when you have a top contender, you should fight him.’ And I said, ‘Okay, I’m fighting.’ But now that he has a top contender in Ilia Topuria, he’s not fighting him.'"

Check out Merab Dvalishvili's comments below (via @ChampRDS on X) :