Daniel Cormier sees Justin Gaethje sliding into the UFC title picture. Lightweight champion Islam Makhachev (27-1 MMA, 16-1 UFC) is gearing up for his next title defense after making quick work of short-notice replacement Renato Moicano at UFC 311 in January. Ilia Topuria says he was promised an immediate lightweight title shot after he vacated
Ben Askren wants to see UFC lightweight champion Islam Makhachev face consequences if he turns down Ilia Topuria. Topuria (15-0 MMA, 8-0 UFC) claimed that the UFC promised him an immediate title shot at lightweight after he vacated his featherweight title. However, with Makhachev and his team needing Topuria to earn his shot by beating
Frankie Edgar thinks the fighter who currently holds UFC lightweight gold is on track to be the greatest the division has ever seen. A former titleholder himself, Edgar (24-11-1 MMA, 18-11-1 UFC) won the lightweight title in 2010 and defended it twice. Despite holding his era in high regard, Edgar recently told MMA Junkie Radio
Henry Cejudo believes UFC Hall of Famer Khabib Nurmagomedov could get in the way of Islam Makhachev defending his lightweight title against Ilia Topuria. In a chat with Cejudo this past December, Nurmagomedov said he’d be against Topuria (16-0 MMA, 8-0 UFC) getting an immediate shot at Makhachev (26-1 MMA, 15-1 UFC) and his belt.
Michael Bisping sees a world where Justin Gaethje is next in line for UFC lightweight champion Islam Makhachev. Gaethje (26-5 MMA, 9-5 UFC) returned to the win column after defeating Rafael Fiziev a second time at UFC 313 last month. Makhachev already holds wins over No. 1-ranked Arman Tsarukyan and No. 2-ranked Charles Oliveria, and
Daniel Cormier is firing back at the notion that elite lightweight are afraid of Ilia Topuria. Topuria (16-0 MMA, 8-0 UFC), who is vacating the UFC featherweight title to move up to the lightweight division, recently said he’s targeting a title shot vs. Islam Makhachev (27-1 MMA, 16-1 UFC) or a No. 1 contender bout
Share this article share tweet text email link on Facebook on Twitter via text message on LinkedIn via email https://mmajunkie.usatoday.com/lists/ufc-317-main-event-options-analyst-michael-chiesa March 27, 2025 12:10 pm ET The countdown to the 13th annual UFC International Fight Week is on. With roughly three months until the cornerstone event of the world’s biggest MMA promotion goes down, UFC
One of the GOATs of MMA, Demetrious Johnson, believes pound-for-pound rankings boil down to the total skillset a particular fighter possesses. Pound-for-pound debates can quickly get convoluted because everyone has slightly different criteria to shake out the hypothetical rankings. Johnson considers activity, championship status, and recency, but nothing tops being a well-rounded fighter. “MMA is
Alexander Volkanovski has no issues with Ilia Topuria getting an immediate UFC lightweight title shot. Topuria (16-0 MMA, 8-0 UFC) is vacating his featherweight championship after back-to-back knockouts of Volkanovski and Max Holloway. Volkanovski was awaiting his rematch with Topuria, but those plans were derailed after “El Matador” moved divisions. But because Topuria won’t be
Chael Sonnen refuses to believe that UFC champion Islam Makhachev is avoiding Ilia Topuria. Makhachev (27-1 MMA, 16-1 UFC) previously said he wasn’t interested in defending his lightweight title against another featherweight in Topuria (16-0 MMA, 8-0 UFC), who is vacating his belt for a move up to 155 pounds. Makhachev’s manager also said he’d
Former UFC lightweight champion Charles Oliveira isn’t sure how he fits into the suddenly crowded top of the 155-pound division, but he knows he wants his next fight to be for a title belt. “The division is very complicated,” Oliveira said in an interview with online sportsbook Oddspedia. “I think I deserve to be next
Javier Mendez is not opposed to Justin Gaethje getting the next UFC lightweight title shot. Gaethje (26-5 MMA, 9-5 UFC) called for a title shot after defeating Rafael Fiziev by unanimous decision in this past Saturday’s UFC 313 co-main event at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas. Considering that UFC lightweight champion Islam Makhachev (27-1 MMA, 16-1 UFC)
