Jorge Masvidal believes Ilia Topuria is on the brink of rewriting MMA history — and says one more championship would remove any remaining doubt about his place among the sport’s all-time greats.
Topuria (17-0 MMA, 9-0 UFC) has already carved a remarkable path through two divisions. After dismantling the featherweight elite, he vacated his 145-pound title to move up to lightweight, where he knocked out Charles Oliveira to claim the vacant belt at UFC 317. Now, his attention has shifted toward an even bigger target: UFC welterweight champion Islam Makhachev.
With knockout victories over current featherweight champion Alexander Volkanovski, BMF titleholder Max Holloway, and former lightweight king Oliveira, Masvidal argues that adding Makhachev (28-1 MMA, 17-1 UFC) to that list would place “El Matador” in a category of his own.
“No one has ever won three UFC belts,” Masvidal said on his Death Row MMA podcast. “If Ilia goes up to 170 and beats Makhachev, there’s no argument left. You can’t compare him to anyone — not Jon Jones, not GSP. That’s Michael Jordan-level greatness. You just have to sit back and say, ‘Yeah, he actually did that.’
“When you finish Volkanovski in his prime, finish Max Holloway in his prime, then move up and finish Charles Oliveira, you start wondering who this guy even is. He feels like a myth.”
Masvidal added that defeating Makhachev — widely regarded as the best pound-for-pound fighter in the sport — would be Topuria’s most daunting challenge yet.
“You’re talking about beating the No. 1 pound-for-pound guy who’s been dominating for four or five years,” Masvidal said. “He takes the biggest names, drags them into deep water, and submits them. If Ilia pulls that off, the entire sport has to stop and pay attention. Every fighter will turn their head. Even the ones who don’t like him will have to admit the truth — Ilia is special.
“The only type of fighter who can beat Ilia is someone like Makhachev, a guy who can keep it on the ground. Because if you stand with Ilia, your time is limited.”
For now, Topuria is expected to return in a title-unification bout against interim lightweight champion Justin Gaethje, who captured the belt by defeating Paddy Pimblett at UFC 324. After a period of inactivity due to legal issues involving his ex-wife, Topuria is targeting a comeback between April and June.
