Ilia Topuria chooses Paddy Pimblett over Makhachev: "It will be one of the biggest fights in history."

Less than a week until Ilia Topuria steps back into a UFC cage. This Saturday, June 28, El Matador will try to add to his legend by becoming the tenth fighter in company history to conquer two different weight classes at UFC 317. But doing so won't be easy. He'll have to overcome a mixed martial arts (MMA) legend, the greatest finisher in the company's history and a former lightweight champion (155 pounds or 70.3 kilos). We're talking about Charles Oliveira, one of the company's most beloved athletes.

The two will face off for the vacant 155-pound belt. While it's undoubtedly a dangerous duel, styles make fights. And when it comes to styles, the Brazilian's is very favorable to Topuria . Oliveira tends to neglect his defense when striking, which causes him to get hit badly. Given the Spanish-Georgian's punching power, this is a luxury he can't afford . Thus, for many experts and bookmakers, El Matador is the heavy favorite in the fight.

Topuria himself sees himself as the winner of that fight, so one of the questions he's most asked is about his possible first defense. Two names are coming up strongly: Paddy Pimblett and Islam Makhachev . In a recent interview with Shakiel Mahjouri, the Spanish-Georgian stated that he expects a fight with the Liverpool native, although he noted that the latter should have another fight first. "I think [Gaethje and Paddy] need to fight someone, maybe each other. In fact, I've predicted that fight in the past. I've said the UFC would unite them, and if Paddy can go after Justin Gaethje and get that win, why not? I think it will be one of the biggest fights in UFC history . I'm hoping, fingers crossed, that he wins, and I'll finally shut him up. We'll be alone in that Octagon, and I'm going to destroy him. I'm going to destroy that blonde," the athlete confidently expressed.

Journalist Kevin Iole also brought up the subject, mentioning Islam Makhachev. "Me vs. Paddy would be bigger than me vs. Makhachev. Who the fuck cares about Islam? Even in Dagestan, when he fights, people go to sleep and see him in the morning. He can't even pronounce two words," El Matador confidently expressed. This, rather than ruining the fight against the Russian, foreshadows a first defense against the Liverpool native before attempting the Triple Crown.

What's more, El Matador recently stated that if Makhachev were to win the welterweight title (170 pounds or 77.1 kilos) , he would push to challenge for that belt . However, the problem lies in scheduling. This is one of the reasons why Topuria might be interested in first making a high-profile defense , such as the clash with Paddy Pimblett, and then moving on to legacy fights, such as Islam Makhachev. Furthermore, this duel could grow in anticipation, even more so if both fighters are already established double champions.