Ilia Topuria reveals bold White House ambition
The UFC star aims to make history as the first three-division champion and calls for a showdown with Islam Makhachev at the White House.
Ilia Topuria has his next challenge lined up: making UFC history by becoming the first fighter to hold titles in three different weight classes. To do that, he wants a fight fans have been eagerly anticipating, him versus Russian lightweight star Islam Makhachev, who dominated the division before moving up to the welterweight division.
Topuria vs. Makhachev: A historic showdown at an iconic venue
On Giorgi Kokiashvili’s podcast, Topuria hinted at the potential matchup and even suggested a unique stage for the bout: the White House. “I want to fight Makhachev at the White House. It would be one of the most important fights in UFC history. No one has ever fought for a third belt,” the Spanish-Georgian fighter said.
Topuria praised Makhachev’s dominance at lightweight and believes the fight could be extraordinary. “Islam completely dominated the lightweight division and then moved up in weight, so I think it would be an incredible fight,” he added.
When will Ilia Topuria fight next?
In June, Topuria became the 10th multi-division champion in UFC history by defeating Charles Oliveira to claim the Lightweight Championship. The 28-year-old isn’t scheduled to fight again this year, but UFC president Dana White has teased him as the headliner for the organization’s first major event under its new Paramount broadcast partnership in January 2026.
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