Former Bellator champion Ben Askren believes Islam Makhachev could be stripped of his UFC championship belt if he declines to fight Ilia Topuria.
“I think Dana White should just do what he usually does and say, `Hey, Islam, if you don`t want to fight, we`ll take your belt.` Dana has done this before, it`s a known tactic of his. If you`re the champion, you have to defend your title against the best contender, right? And Ilia has defeated two legends consecutively, and not just defeated them, but finished them both at featherweight – Volkanovski and Holloway. It`s quite clear he`s the top contender, especially now that he`s moving up to lightweight. Arman Tsarukyan was initially in line for a title shot, but he had to withdraw from a fight at the last minute, so he needs another fight first. So, it all makes sense: Ilia is a champion, he’s undefeated, and he`s beaten two legends in a row. I don’t see how you can deny him a title shot,” Askren stated.
