Ilia Topuria has pushed for his alternative to maneuver as much as light-weight to problem reigning champion Islam Makhachev and now he can add Joe Rogan to his checklist of supporters for that combat to occur subsequent.
Throughout his Fight Companion podcast for UFC 312, the veteran coloration commentator and comic appeared forward on the calendar in 2025 and instantly instructed Topuria vs. Makhachev as a combat he needs to see most. Whereas Rogan understands the argument that Topuria hasn’t even cleared out his personal division but as featherweight champion, it’s unimaginable to not see the attraction in permitting him to go as much as 155 kilos for a combat in opposition to Makhachev.
“As loopy because it sounds, I hope Ilia goes as much as [155 pounds]. I actually do,” Rogan mentioned. “[Alexander] Volkanovski-Diego Lopes [at] 145, Ilia goes as much as 55. I don’t care if he solely defended the title one time or didn’t, who cares. Let’s go. Let’s f*cking go.
“It’d be good [to see him fight some of the other contenders at featherweight] but additionally who cares? Let’s go. Let’s f*cking go.”
Whereas it’s true that Topuria has solely defended his belt one time, his two most up-to-date wins got here in opposition to arguably two of one of the best featherweights within the historical past of the game.
After ending Alexander Volkanovski to win the belt, Topuria adopted that up with a shocking knockout over Max Holloway, who had by no means been completed by strikes as much as that time in his profession.
All of the discuss recently has been about Topuria operating it again with Volkanovski in a rematch however Rogan prefers that the previous champion would get one other win to re-establish himself earlier than gunning for a rematch.
“If you wish to make the large combat for July, is it the Volkanovski rematch? I don’t know,” Rogan mentioned. “Volkanovski, folks in all probability wish to see him win one.
“He will get overwhelmed by Islam within the first combat, he will get KO’d by Islam within the second combat … after which he will get KO’d by Ilia. So two KO losses in a row, one resolution, although he’s a legend, you sort of wish to see him beat a contender possibly.”
If the UFC strikes ahead with Topuria vs. Volkanovski 2 as a substitute, Rogan isn’t completely against that matchup but it surely’s unimaginable to disregard how the primary combat ended.
That mentioned, Rogan needs Volkanovski to return into the combat at his very best, which isn’t how he felt when the Australian returned reasonably rapidly from his knockout loss to Makhachev after which suffered the identical combat in opposition to Topuria.
“I wouldn’t hate a rematch,” Rogain mentioned about Topuria vs. Volkanovski 2. “It’s a kind of ones the place I hope Alex is 100% and I wish to see it however he shouldn’t have fought him that rapidly after getting KO’d by Islam. Three months, 4 months later, he took a shot.”
