Ilia Topuria is one of the biggest stars of the UFC after winning the championship belt against Alexander Volkanovski and defending it against Max Holloway. Furthermore, outside the cage he attracts a large mass of fans wherever he goes. Therefore, every time the Hispanic-Georgian speaks, the world of mixed martial arts (MMA) paralyzes. This time, the featherweight monarch has not fallen short in his answers and has revolutionized the fans.
In an interview with Juanma Castaño on ‘El Partidazo’ on the Cope network, El Matador shocked those present by saying that “surely we have seen my last fight at featherweight». Topuria claimed that he was tired of weight cuts, and that he is now definitively looking at the highest weight, the light one (155 pounds or 70.3 kilos). Although he still hopes to fight around April or May 2025, the champion of that category, Islam Makhachevhas a fight in January, so it would not be available on the dates that Ilia wants.
With this in mind, one might think that either Topuria was postponing his return, or his arrival at lightweight was postponed. However, the second news of the day landed strongly. «Given that Islam is going to fight in January and would not be ready for April or May, I would like to fight the number one contender, which is Charles Oliveira», revealed the Hispanic-Georgian. Now, everyone is waiting for the Brazilian’s response, since it is a fight that excites fans, while causing controversy for leaving featherweight. However, he states that this is what he would like to do, there is nothing official. If what Ilia seeks happens, it would leave Islam Makhachev, who in recent days was reluctant to give the “little guys” another chance, without an excuse.
In addition to all this news that turned the community upside down, there was another that saddened the fans. Ilia Topuria assured that she would like be retired at 30 years oldthat is, in about three years. «At this moment, in my division, I no longer have the motivation to defend the belt. Now I want to move up a category and we’ll see how everything goes,” explained Topuria. A decision that undoubtedly caused disparities between those who wanted to see more of Ilia and those who understood the decision and the hardness of staying in the sporting elite for so long.
On the other hand, El Matador left the door open in the program to return to featherweight if he regains motivation with a challenger who comes from behind, so it is not a definitive goodbye. Furthermore, no matter how much Topuria says, nothing is confirmed, so it is still possible that he defends the belt once again before moving up definitively and facing Oliveira or Makhachev, since everything can change. The range of possibilities for Ilia Topuria’s next clash, which was aimed at Volkanovski, opens exponentially.
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