UFC commentator Jon Anik shares honest opinion as he picks among Ilia Topuria, Charles Oliveira and others for Islam Makhachev's next fight

Jon Anik (left) speaks about possible opponents for Islam Makhachev (right) [Image courtesy: Getty]
Jon Anik (left) speaks about possible opponents for Islam Makhachev (right) [Image courtesy: Getty]

Many in the MMA community have been speculating as to who could be the next fighter to face off against Islam Makhachev for the UFC lightweight title. Prominent names like Ilia Topuria, Justin Gaethje and Charles Oliveira are currently a part of this conversation.

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UFC commentator Jon Anik has also weighed in on the issue. In a video uploaded to social media, Anik shared how fellow MMA personalities like Ray Longo and Kenny Florian had picked Topuria as the ideal candidate for the next lightweight title shot.

Anik shared that, in his opinion, the UFC should just ask the Dagestani who he would prefer to share the octagon with next. He said:

"Do you do the Ilia Topuria fight? Do you have him fight Justin Gaethje? Or you do Charles Oliveira a second time? What do you do? Ray Longo, Kenny Florian and Jason Anik, all do the Ilia Topuria fight."
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"I understand on merit, why for mixed martial arts, two champions like that in their primes is why it makes sense to strike while the iron is hot, as they might say. But there's a lot to unpack here. You know what I would do If I was the UFC. I would call the pound-for-pound king Islam Makhachev. I would be like, 'Hey, yo Islam! What'd you think? Who do you wanna fight?'"
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Check out Jon Anik's comments below:

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Alexander Volkanovski speaks about Islam Makhachev vs. Ilia Topuria

Former UFC featherweight champion Alexander Volkanovski has fought Islam Makhachev and Ilia Topuria and has come up short against both individuals.

'The Great' recently sat down for a conversation with Michael Bisping for the Believe You Me podcast. Volkanovski shared that although it would be a tough hill to climb, Topuria had the potential to knock Makhachev out.

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The former featherweight champion said:

"Look, I have fought both of them. Islam is going to be a hard man to beat. I think the only chance of him losing is someone knocking him out, right? And if anybody can do it, it's Ilia. Ilia has obviously got some dangerous hands."

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Edited by Ritwik Kumar
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