Michael Bisping warns Paul Felder for seemingly suggesting that Islam Makhachev is ducking Ilia Topuria: "You got to be careful what you say"

Michael Bisping warned Paul Felder to choose his words carefully after he seemingly implied Islam Makhachev might be hesitant to face Ilia Topuria. With Topuria vacating his featherweight belt, the undefeated Spaniard claimed that the UFC guaranteed him a lightweight title shot.

But with no official confirmation from UFC CEO Dana White, the status of the fight remains uncertain. Meanwhile, Makhachev's team has reportedly turned down the fight, claiming that Topuria needs to earn the title shot first.

Felder, while discussing the situation on Michael Bisping Podcast, hinted at the possibility that Makhachev might be hesitant to accept the fight. Bisping stepped in with a word of caution, claiming, "You got to be careful what you say."

Bisping reminded Felder that anything implying Makhachev is ducking could spark backlash. Felder clarified he wasn’t questioning Makhachev’s courage but acknowledged the complexity of the situation. He said:

"I know, but I'm saying like he's probably thinking, 'I got to fight another 45er [featherweight] coming up. I got to do all this.' He's like, 'I've earned my position as one of the pound-for-pound greats, and now here I am.'"

Felder added:

"So, I see why Islam would have a hold-up. But then they also promised Ilia on the other side, so I feel like they're kind of just stuck with promising both guys something great. And now they got to try to figure out how can we get them both to agree to this. And usually, the best thing to do is just give them more money, and they'll probably figure it out."

Check out Paul Felder's comments below (42:40):

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Ilia Topuria sheds light on the UFC's promise to him

Ilia Topuria's move to lightweight was by design despite Islam Makhachev's team reportedly declining a fight against him. The undefeated Spaniard says the UFC promised him a lightweight title shot after he vacated his featherweight belt.

With Alexander Volkanovski and Diego Lopes set to fight for his old title, Topuria is focused on 155 pounds. Speaking about the UFC's promise to Topuria, 'El Matador' said:

"If it’s going to be Islam, if it’s going to be Charles, I have no idea. The belt will be on the line. It will be on the line, that was the promise for leaving my title vacant. They’ve always kept their promises.” [H/t: The Independent]