It’s already mid-February, and the UFC hasn’t announced any super fights for 2025 yet. Dana White’s team is still waiting for an agreement between Jon Jones and Tom Aspinall to unify the heavyweight belt, but fans are getting restless. They’re clamoring for some big fights to be officially announced. One of the most talked-about potential fights in recent weeks is Islam Makhachev vs. Ilia Topuria, although there are other possibilities on the table. Joe Rogan, the UFC’s official commentator and one of the company’s most authoritative voices, has jumped on the bandwagon of those who are eager for something to happen.
As the host of the wildly successful podcast The Joe Rogan Experience, Rogan has been vocal about his desire to see Topuria move up to lightweight and pursue a double championship. “We don’t know what’s gonna happen in lightweight, but I hope Ilia goes up to 155 pounds… I don’t care if he’s only defended the title once, who cares?” he said. Rogan thinks that if Topuria were to face Volkanovski in a rematch, fans would want to see him earn a win first. “If it’s the rematch with Volkanovski, I think people would like to see someone win before that,” he added.
Rogan has even suggested having two super fights on the same card, which would be a dream come true for fans. The official announcement of Topuria’s next fight is imminent, while Makhachev has already expressed his intention to fight at the International Fight Week on June 28. “Topuria vs Makhachev and Pereira vs du Plessis, that’s the best card in history,” Rogan exclaimed. He’s not too excited about a potential rematch between Topuria and Volkanovski, but he thinks that Topuria vs Makhachev would be a great fight.
A propitious situation for Topuria
Just a few weeks ago, the most likely option for Topuria was a rematch against Volkanovski. After Topuria’s win against Max Holloway at UFC 308 last October, he said in a post-fight interview that Volkanovski deserved a rematch. However, both the media and Topuria himself seem more interested in a fight that could only happen at lightweight. Topuria doesn’t care if it’s against Makhachev, Charles Oliveira, or even Dustin Poirier – his goal is to become a double champion. To get to Makhachev, though, Topuria might have to go through a tune-up fight first.
The injury to Arman Tsarukyan just hours after his fight against Makhachev didn’t sit well with Dana White, who has told Tsarukyan that he needs to get one more win before he can get another title shot. With Gaethje and Hooker facing each other, and Poirier’s upcoming fight, Makhachev’s options are limited to a rematch against Oliveira, moving up to welterweight for a double championship, or the highly anticipated fight against Topuria. In the lightweight division, a situation has developed that could allow Topuria to arrive with superstar status and revolutionize the division. Seven fighters in the top 10 of the category are 35 years or older, and some, like Poirier, are already planning their retirement. If Topuria were to face Makhachev, it could signal a return to the division’s glory days.