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Magomed Zainukov's first order of business after his highly anticipated and victorious UFC Fight Night 282 debut was to issue a challenge to former lightweight champion Ilia Topuria.
Zainukov (9-0 MMA, 1-0 UFC) lived up to the hype on Saturday in Abu Dhabi, delivering a brilliant striking performance en route to a unanimous decision victory over fellow Octagon debutant Damian Zepetski (10-1 MMA, 0-1 UFC).
Immediately after his hand was raised and Daniel Cormier joined him in the Octagon for the post-fight interview, Zainukov wasted no time in calling out Topuria (17-1 MMA, 9-1 UFC). He noted that Zepetski had spent part of his training camp with "El Matador" prior to his loss in the UFC Freedom 250 title fight against Justin Gaethje.
"Hey, Ilia Topuria! I just wanted to make sure I came out here and did my job," Zainukov told Cormier through an interpreter. "He was saying he's from Ilia Topuria's team. Well, guess what? I come from Abdulmanap Nurmagomedov's school. We don't care who we fight. We'll face anyone!"
Following the bout, a post from a fake Zainukov account on the social media platform X, which labeled Topuria a "quitter," gained traction. However, the account was subsequently suspended and removed from the platform.
Nevertheless, Zainukov's comments inside the cage were enough to signal his intentions. With Topuria having spent several months pursuing a fight with former 155-pound champion Islam Makhachev, it's clear that tension still simmers between the two camps.
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