Ilia Topuria is rapidly establishing himself as the UFC’s next big star. Since capturing the featherweight title earlier this year, he’s been stirring up plenty of attention, not just in the cage but outside it. Recently, Topuria found himself in a heated online exchange with Belal Muhammad, the newly crowned welterweight champion. It further added fuel to the ongoing buzz around his name.
Ilia Topuria‘s Instagram live sessions are as controversial as they get. In a recent session, Topuria called Muhammad a ‘fake champion.’ Muhammad reacted swiftly, criticizing Topuria for wearing a fake BMF belt before his bout with Max Holloway. Then, the Georgian-Spaniard escalated the feud by criticizing Muhammad’s personal and professional lives.
NO FINISHES NO KNOCKOUTS NO KNOCKDOWNS NO GIRLFRIEND NO KIDS BELAL HAS NEVER FINISHED ANY MAN OR WOMAN.
Ilia Topuria via X
Topuria isn’t a fan of Muhammad’s wrestling heavy, ‘crotch sniffing’ fighting style and predicted Kamaru Usman to expose him. Meanwhile, the Palestinian-American fighter labeled Topuria as the ‘Georgian version of Colby Covington.’ Both Covington and Topuria are loud-mouthed trash talkers. However, Topuria got the UFC title on his first try, unlike Covington.
NO FINISHES
NO KNOCKOUTS
NO KNOCKDOWNS
NO GIRLFRIEND
NO KIDS
BELAL HAS NEVER FINISHED ANY MAN OR WOMAN 😂 https://t.co/k3U9rcpNYH— Ilia Topuria (@Topuriailia) October 13, 2024
Ilia Topuria responds to Belal Muhammad 😳#UFC #MMA pic.twitter.com/YEbLECqtHn
— Championship Rounds (@ChampRDS) October 13, 2024
Topuria is one of the most complete and skilled fighters on the UFC roster, and his confidence is at an all-time high. From the claims of beating prime Conor McGregor to discrediting Holloway’s fight IQ, Topuria has made some wild claims. However, this whole rivalry started with his initial beef with Team Khabib and the lightweight champion Islam Makhachev.
The back-and-forth dispute between Ilia Topuria, Islam Makhachev, and Belal Muhammad
Ilia Topuria initially made headlines after he claimed to destroy Islam Makhachev both inside the octagon and on the streets. The featherweight fighter has frequently talked about his intentions to move up and become a double champion. However, his sneaky jibe attracted some unwanted attention from Makhachev’s teammates.
Khabib Nurmagomedov‘s cousins, Usman and Abubakar Nurmagomedov escalated tensions by issuing threats toward Ilia Topuria. Belal Muhammad also warned Topuria about his double champion intentions against Islam Makhachev. The situation intensified after Makhachev’s intervention, advising Topuria to avoid crossing any boundaries and to concentrate on his next fight.
Ilia Topuria responds to Islam Makhachev and calls him out to a fight in 2025 🍿👀
“Let’s leave the kids out of it and settle it like adults inside the octagon 2025.”#UFC #MMA pic.twitter.com/o1VpuSduYK
— Championship Rounds (@ChampRDS) October 7, 2024
Ilia Topuria says Islam Makhachev is a good champion unlike Belal Muhammad 😬
“[Islam] is a good champion and that’s why I would like to share the octagon with him. He’s not like Belal [Muhammad]… please.”#UFC #MMA pic.twitter.com/MUUjYuohBH
— Championship Rounds (@ChampRDS) October 13, 2024
Ilia Topuria predicts that Shavkat Rakhmonov will beat “fake champion” Belal Muhammad at #UFC310 😳
He also says that Kamaru Usman will come back and reclaim the welterweight title: “Easy work for Usman.”#UFC #MMA pic.twitter.com/iC9WPPCECR
— Championship Rounds (@ChampRDS) October 13, 2024
In response, ‘El Matador’ offered a firm rebuttal, going so far as to challenge Makhachev to a fight in 2025. Topuria is currently gearing up for his first title defense against former featherweight champion Max Holloway. With about a week to the event, the hype around the bout is unreal.
