"Is UFC short on LW contenders" - Former champ scoffs at Islam Makhachev seemingly expressing interest in fighting Ilia Topuria

Islam Makhachev's openness to defending his UFC lightweight title against reigning featherweight kingpin Ilia Topuria has raised the eyebrow of a fellow UFC titleholder.

The Dagestani star recently took part in an interview where he expressed an interest in facing Topuria. The pair have been locked in a feud of sorts, with Topuria aiming some trash talk at Makhachev.

A snippet of the interview was shared on Instagram by ESPN MMA, generating engagement from a curious MMA fanbase:

"We will meet and talk. ... We will fight if he wants to."

Makhachev's willingness to face Topuria, though, drew the disapproval of a former lightweight champion in Rafael dos Anjos, who popped up in the comments section to question why the Dagestani phenom is willing to fight another featherweight.

Moreover, he posed a sarcastic question, asking whether the lightweight division was lacking in contenders that he must resort to pillaging the featherweight division for opponents:

"Is UFC short on LW contenders or Slam [Islam] wants only fight against FW?"

A screenshot of Rafael dos Anjos' comment about Islam Makhachev vs. Ilia Topuria

This isn't the first time that 'RDA' has chirped at Makhachev. The two were thrice paired to face each other, but both times saw withdrawals cancel the clash. The first instance was due to a positive COVID-19, while the second time dos Anjos pulled out of a fight with Makhachev due to injury. The final time saw the current champ pull out.

He was subsequently replaced by the always tough Dan Hooker, who was handed a lopsided first-round submission loss. Since then, dos Anjos has criticized Makhachev at every turn.

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Two of Islam Makhachev's three lightweight title defenses came against a featherweight

Islam Makhachev has matched the lightweight division's record for the most title defenses, which is also held by two all-time greats in Khabib Nurmagomedov and B.J. Penn.

However, all but one of his title defenses came against a featherweight, as he twice defeated Alexander Volkanovski.

Their first encounter was at UFC 284, where they clashed in a highly competitive boutt that saw Makhachev win via decision.

Thereafter, they locked horns again at UFC 294, where Makhachev knocked Volkanovski out after the Australian stepped up on short notice.