Dana White and Ilia Topuria appear to be aligned regarding the plans for UFC 317.
Earlier on Thursday, Topuria made an appearance on the Spanish television program El Hormiguero, where he stated his expectation that his next opponent would be either the current lightweight champion, Islam Makhachev, or the top contender, Charles Oliveira.
Topuria`s immediate future in the Octagon seems to be contingent on the outcome of the UFC 315 main event, which features Islam Makhachev`s close associate, Belal Muhammad, defending his welterweight title against Jack Della Maddalena. If Della Maddalena manages an upset victory, Makhachev may likely ascend to the 170-pound division to challenge him. Otherwise, Makhachev is expected to defend his belt against Topuria, who recently gave up his featherweight championship to pursue a title in a second weight class.
During a press conference in Montreal on Thursday, UFC CEO Dana White was questioned about Topuria`s remarks. White confirmed that the current plan is indeed for “El Matador” to compete against either Makhachev or Oliveira at UFC 317, which is scheduled for June 28 in Las Vegas.
“Yeah, there’s a lot of moving parts right now and yeah, that’s pretty accurate,” White commented. He offered no further specifics, leaving it unclear whether a potential bout between Topuria and Oliveira would be contested for an interim or vacant lightweight title should Makhachev not be involved.
These recent comments from White and Topuria are consistent with previous statements. White mentioned in February that Makhachev was not guaranteed to be Topuria`s initial opponent upon moving to 155 pounds. In March, Topuria himself claimed the UFC had promised him a title opportunity, though he was unsure who his opponent would be.
Consequently, significant attention is now focused on Saturday’s main event, as the result of the Muhammad vs. Della Maddalena clash will undoubtedly create ripple effects across multiple divisions within the UFC.
