Ilia Topuria still had his sights set on facing Islam Makhachev for the lightweight championship, a bout many fans eagerly anticipated.
Instead of that potential major clash, Islam Makhachev decided to move up to the welterweight division, leaving his lightweight title vacant.
Following the main event of UFC 315, where Jack Della Maddalena defeated Belal Muhammad to become the new champion at 170 pounds, significant changes occurred in the lightweight picture.
With Makhachev no longer in the lightweight division, Topuria is scheduled to face Charles Oliveira for the vacant belt at UFC 317 this weekend, aiming to secure his second UFC title.
While Topuria hopes a fight against Makhachev might happen in the future, for now, the challenge of potentially stopping the pound-for-pound king and preventing him from tying the record for the longest win streak in UFC history falls to Australia`s newly crowned welterweight champion.
Ilia Topuria Stresses Using Body Shots to Deter Islam Makhachev`s Takedowns
During the week leading up to UFC 317, Ilia Topuria appeared on Australia`s MAIN EVENT program to discuss his upcoming fight against Charles Oliveira.
Given `El Matador`s` previous pursuit of a fight with Islam Makhachev before the champion`s move up in weight, the conversation naturally shifted to what might be next for the Russian fighter.
Having likely considered how he would approach a matchup against Makhachev, Topuria was able to offer some tactical advice for Jack Della Maddalena.
Many fans believe Della Maddalena stands a better chance against the former lightweight champion following his impressive performance against Belal Muhammad.
Considering Muhammad is known for his relentless pressure and wrestling, the Australian fighter was clearly well-prepared, successfully defending six out of nine takedown attempts.
Topuria offered just one specific piece of advice to Della Maddalena and his team, but highlighted it as potentially vital: targeting Makhachev`s body.
“The advice, he has to work the straight body shots because that takes away the intentions of the takedown. If he works with the straight body shots, he’s going to stop his intentions of the takedowns and he’s doing a great job of striking. I like how he fights.”
Islam Makhachev`s Takedown Success: A Look Back to 2019
While Islam Makhachev didn`t secure any takedowns against Alexander Volkanovski in their swift rematch (which ended via knockout in just over three minutes), he successfully landed 4 of 9 attempts in their initial meeting.
Makhachev`s last opponent whom he did *not* take down was Davi Ramos in 2019. Even in that fight, however, Makhachev still accumulated nearly five minutes of control time after knocking Ramos down, ultimately winning a unanimous decision.
Similar to their approach in preparing for Belal Muhammad, Jack Della Maddalena`s team should anticipate that the fight against Makhachev will likely involve time on the ground.
As Ilia Topuria suggested, the key is to provide a deterrent through striking threat, specifically targeting the body, to prevent Makhachev from constantly initiating takedowns and dictating where the fight takes place.
Jack Thornley