Ilia Topuria is already looking past Charles Oliveira to a potential lightweight showdown with Islam Makhachev. Topuria is set to face Oliveira for Makhachev's vacated lightweight belt at UFC 317. It's not the fight fans wanted,

The pair of top pound for pound fighters could have had a superfight over the summer that now appears dead in the water

Before Makhachev (27-1 MMA, 16-1 UFC) vacated his UFC lightweight title, he dismissed ex-featherweight champ Topuria (16-0 MMA, 8-0 UFC) as his next title challenger. He wasn't interested in defending his belt against another 145-pounder coming up a weight class after two of his four lightweight title defenses coming over Alexander Volkanovski.