December 17, 2024 12: 10 pm ET
Khabib Nurmagomedov would like to see UFC featherweight champion Ilia Topuria earn his title shot at lightweight if he moves up to the division.
Topuria (16-0 MMA, 8-0 UFC) teased a move up to 155 pounds and called for a fight with Charles Oliveira (35-10 MMA, 23-10 UFC). If he can get past a former champion like that, then Nurmagomedov wouldn’t mind his protoge, current UFC lightweight champion Islam Makhachev, giving him a shot.
“I think if he moves up and he beats somebody like Dustin Poirier or Charles Oliveira then he’s next in line. Why not? Because there is nobody,” Nurmagomedov said on the “Pound 4 Pound” podcast with Henry Cejudo and Kamaru Usman.
However, Nurmagomedov is against Topuria getting an immediate title shot. He already witnessed Makhachev (26-1 MMA, 15-1 UFC) get criticized for making his