Coach Jorge Climent confident Ilia Topuria 'can bang up' UFC lightweight champ Islam Makhachev

Ilia Topuria challenging UFC lightweight champion Islam Makhachev, that’s what Jorge Climent would like to see next.

Climent, Topuria’s head coach, wants to see an eventual clash between the two UFC champions, and he likes the chances of Topuria (15-0 MMA, 7-0 UFC) taking the lightweight title and becoming a two-division UFC champion.

“We’ve spoken over the phone, but we really haven’t spoken about who he wants next, but personally speaking, as his trainer, I’d always like to do the biggest thing possible to leave a legacy behind,” Climent told MMA Junkie in Spanish. “The fight I would like the most, it would be against Makhachev. I’d love to see him go up in weight, and pick up both titles. I think he’s capable of it. If Volkanovski, with preparation, gave him the fight he gave him, I think Ilia can bang up Makhachev.”

Topuria, of course, just claimed the UFC featherweight title by dethroning Alexander Volkanovski last month at UFC 298. He did so by stopping the Australian in the second round.

Climent told MMA Junkie that he’d like to see Volkanovski take a tune up fight or a break and then run back the rematch. That’s why he thinks that making Topuria vs. Makhachev would be the move to make. Either way, if it happens next or not, Climent would love to see Topuria challenge Makhachev at some point in his career.

“I think right now it would be a great time for this,” Climent said. “I think that it would be huge and then after we can defend against Volkanovski or even the other one (155 title), who knows. There are so many possibilities open.”