Ilia Topuria Khabib Nurmagomedov talk shut down

Ilia Topuria did not take the bait on Khabib Nurmagomedov.

The UFC lightweight champion was asked at UFC White House media day to size up a fantasy matchup with the retired former champion, and Topuria gave the cleanest answer available. He said Nurmagomedov is done fighting, probably is not coming back, and should not be dragged into a matchup that can only live in talk shows and comment sections.

Topuria enters Sunday’s UFC event on the White House lawn as the active champion in the division Nurmagomedov once ruled. He won the lightweight belt by knocking out Charles Oliveira last year, and now faces Justin Gaethje in a title unification bout that gives the whole conversation a direct line back to 2020, when Nurmagomedov beat Gaethje in his final professional fight.

Ilia Topuria rejects Khabib fight talk

Topuria has never been shy about saying what he thinks he can do. He became the UFC’s tenth two-division champion, holds the lightweight throne, and has already spoken about chasing a third belt at welterweight. That made the Khabib question an easy setup. A confident champion could have used it to claim he would solve the unbeaten Dagestani, especially with Topuria now sitting where Nurmagomedov once sat.Instead, Topuria moved away from the comparison. “Leave the man alone, he’s already retired,” he said. Asked how the fight might have gone, Topuria said he did not know and added that fans are probably never going to find out because he does not expect Nurmagomedov to return. He also credited Khabib’s UFC run and overall career, saying there is no point talking about him now.

Khabib’s retirement stays central to the answer

Nurmagomedov retired at 29-0 after defeating Gaethje in 2020, and he has not fought since. That record is the reason the fantasy matchup keeps coming up whenever a new lightweight champion starts stacking major wins. Topuria did not deny Nurmagomedov’s standing. He treated the retirement as the fact that matters most, then moved the conversation back to the fighters still booked to compete.

• Topuria was asked about a hypothetical fight with Nurmagomedov during UFC White House media day.
• He refused to predict a winner and said Khabib should be left alone in retirement.
• Topuria faces Justin Gaethje in Sunday’s UFC White House lightweight title unification bout.
• Topuria has been more direct about Islam Makhachev, with a possible welterweight move still part of his plan.

Topuria vs Gaethje at UFC White House

The Khabib question has extra weight because Gaethje is the opponent in front of Topuria. Gaethje was the last man Nurmagomedov beat, and that fight remains one of the reference points for how badly Khabib could shut down elite lightweights. Topuria will now try to make his own statement against the same name, this time with the undisputed lightweight picture attached to it.Topuria’s respect for Nurmagomedov has not extended to every member of that camp. The champion has aimed sharper comments at Islam Makhachev, Nurmagomedov’s friend and longtime teammate, after Makhachev left lightweight for welterweight. Topuria called Makhachev a coward over that move, and he has said his own plan includes following him to 170 pounds for a potential champion versus champion fight if the pieces line up.

For now, the fight on the schedule is Topuria against Gaethje, not Topuria against Nurmagomedov or Makhachev. Topuria used media day to separate those discussions: respect for Khabib’s completed career, hostility toward Makhachev’s move out of lightweight, and full focus on a unification fight with Gaethje at UFC White House.