Ahead of his return at UFC 308 this weekend, Ilia Topuria has admitted that while he respects former lightweight kingpin, Khabib Nurmagomedov — believes that certain members of his and Islam Makhachev’s team are clearly using steroids as well as accusing them of “cheating.
Topuria, the current undisputed featherweight champion, is slated to headline UFC 308 this weekend in Abu Dhabi, taking on former undisputed titleholder and current symbolic BMF gold holder, Max Holloway.
Winning the crown back in February, unbeaten striking ace, Topuria stopped common-foe, Alexander Volkanovski with a thunderous second round knockout win to clinch the undisputed 145lbs title in Anaheim, California.
And vowing to make the move to the lightweight limit in the future, Topuria has welcomed the chance to take on pound-for-pound number one, Makhachev in a future super fight — as soon as next year, leading to a response from the Russian who urged him to first concentrate on his pairing with Hawaiian star Holloway first.
Ilia Topuria takes aim at Islam Makhachev and his teammates
Sharing his thoughts on Makhachev and his team — as well as Hall of Fame inductee, Nurmagomedov, Georgian-Spaniard finisher, Topuria admitted that while he respected the retired sambo specialist, he had some choice words for Makhachev and his teammates.
“Look, one thing I respect about Khabib (Nurmagomedov), the guy is really super respectful,” Ilia Topuria told Eurosport Spain during a recent interview ahead of UFC 308. “He never says anything about anybody, people talk a lot, he never says anything about anybody.”
Ilia Topuria shows respect to Khabib, but goes IN on his cousins/teammates
"One thing I respect about Khabib, the guy is super respectful… I mentioned Islam, and all the cousins come out.
They've never knocked anyone out, they get caught using steroids, they're super… pic.twitter.com/Bxmm77AEG0
— Championship Rounds (@ChampRDS) October 21, 2024
“I’ve mentioned Islam (Makhachev) and all the cousins come out,” Ilia Topuria explained. “They have never knocked anyone out, they get caught using steroids, they are super cheaters and suddenly they jump.The only thing it tells me is that they have a damaged nervous system from taking so many steroids because that’s the first thing that gets damaged. Threatening a fighter with, ‘When we see each other, I’m going to hit you’, it’s like, man, I dedicate my life to fighting.”