{"id":490109,"date":"2026-02-19T12:27:07","date_gmt":"2026-02-19T12:27:07","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/490109\/"},"modified":"2026-02-19T12:27:07","modified_gmt":"2026-02-19T12:27:07","slug":"islam-makhachev-says-michael-morales-is-a-harder-puncher-than-ilia-topuria","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/490109\/","title":{"rendered":"Islam Makhachev Says Michael Morales Is A Harder Puncher Than Ilia Topuria"},"content":{"rendered":"

P4P king Islam Makhachev<\/a> thinks Michael Morales is a way more dangerous striker than Ilia Topuria. Makhachev doesn\u2019t consider the UFC lightweight champion to be a threat if the 29-year-old ever moves up to 170 pounds.<\/p>\n

Makhachev is expected to make the first defense of his welterweight title post-Ramadan and is rumored to take on Ian Machado Garry. Garry recently visited Georgia to find southpaw<\/a> wrestlers who can help him dethrone the Russian.<\/p>\n

Other than Garry<\/a>, Morales, Kamaru Usman, and Carlos Prates are also in the mix and could emerge as the next welterweight title challenger.<\/p>\n

Recently, in an interview with Ushatayka, Makhachev opined that Ilia Topuria\u2019s superpowers may not be as effective at 170 pounds as they are at 155. The 34-year-old added that he considers Michael Morales the more dangerous puncher:<\/p>\n

\u201cI think Morales is way more dangerous as a puncher. He puts people to sleep with damn near every shot he lands. I don\u2019t see Topuria being as dangerous at 170 as he is at 155 because the size is different, the weight is different, and the height is different. It will be much easier for welterweights to fight Topuria. I don\u2019t see any danger from Topuria if he comes up to 170.\u201d<\/p>\n

Check out Islam Makhachev\u2019s comments below:<\/p>\n

Islam Makhachev says Morales is far more dangerous as a puncher and doesn\u2019t see Topuria being a threat at 170.<\/p>\n

\u201cI think Morales is way more dangerous as a puncher. He puts people to sleep with damn near every shot he lands. I don\u2019t see Topuria being as dangerous at 170 as he is\u2026 pic.twitter.com\/0gQLQgRXdr<\/a><\/p>\n

\u2014 Red Corner MMA (@RedCorner_MMA) February 19, 2026<\/a><\/p>\n

Michael Morales (19-0) is currently riding a three-fight knockout streak, all in Round 1. In his most recent outing at UFC 322, he TKO\u2019d top contender<\/a> Sean Brady. The undefeated Ecuadorian now holds 14 knockout wins in his pro-MMA career.<\/p>\n<\/p>\n

Ilia Topuria<\/a>, on the other hand, is also undefeated (17-0). In his last three fights, he knocked out Charles Oliveira<\/a> in R1, became the first fighter to knock out Max Holloway, and, before that, finished Alexander Volkanovski in 2024.<\/p>\n<\/p>\n

Islam Makhachev won\u2019t fight Ilia Topuria at the White House<\/p>\n

During the same interview, Islam Makhachev also revealed that he won\u2019t be fighting Ilia Topuria at the White House, as the latter has to face Justin Gaethje<\/a> to unify the titles.<\/p>\n

\u201cYes, I think it definitely won\u2019t be at the White House because he already has opponents lined up and the UFC isn\u2019t interested in that fight right now.\u201d<\/p>\n

Check out Islam Makhachev\u2019s comments below:<\/p>\n