It appears Ilia Topuria has permanently moved on from the featherweight division.
“El Matador” had an exceptional career at 145 pounds, remaining undefeated and claiming UFC gold with a stunning knockout victory over Alexander Volkanovski in February 2024. Eight months later, Topuria achieved another remarkable feat by becoming the first fighter to stop Max Holloway with strikes.
After accumulating significant accomplishments in the featherweight category before turning 28, Topuria is now preparing for a completely new challenge. He is set to compete for the vacant lightweight title at UFC 317 on June 28 against Charles Oliveira. To secure this opportunity, Topuria was required to vacate his 145-pound championship belt.
Considering how increasingly difficult it was for Topuria to make the weight limit for the division, he stated that he has no regrets about his decision.
In an interview, Topuria described the intense suffering involved in the weight cut: “When you are cutting weight and you cannot eat or drink water, material possessions hold absolutely no value. They could offer you bags of money, they could give you all the cars you want, and you wouldn`t care in the slightest. In that moment, if someone were to offer you this small glass of water and tell you it wouldn`t increase your weight, you would give anything you possess for it. You feel completely depleted. It feels terrible. It`s like being exposed and vulnerable in public. I felt awful. So, I simply didn`t want to endure that suffering any longer. I didn`t want to experience that again.”
He continued, “I had already gone through it multiple times throughout my career. I had also achieved my ultimate goal, which was to become a world champion. I needed to close that chapter because I couldn`t bear the suffering anymore. Frankly, it felt like surviving in a harsh desert, and I desired to live somewhere comfortable, like by the ocean.”
However, escaping the grueling weight cut wasn`t the only reason for Topuria`s decision to move up to 155 pounds.
When Topuria initially decided to pursue the lightweight title, it was held by Islam Makhachev, who was considered the number one pound-for-pound fighter on the planet. While Topuria is content to fight for the title against whoever the opponent is and insists there is no personal issue with Makhachev, his original intention was specifically to defeat Makhachev to claim the belt.
Topuria explained his motivation for wanting to fight Makhachev: “My reason was quite simple, and it`s the same reason I wanted to fight Volkanovski. To become the champion at 145 by defeating the titleholder, at that specific time, it had to be Volk. It had to be him for me then because he had the most history and dominance in the division. He was the one who had defeated everyone; he was considered the greatest.”
He added, “It`s the identical situation with Islam. I wanted to fight him simply because he had been dominating everyone else. So, who is defeating everyone? Islam. Well, I want to fight him because when you beat someone like that, the reward is significantly greater.”
Nonetheless, there was one aspect related to a potential fight with Makhachev that Topuria found irritating.
In interviews, Makhachev and his team seemed hesitant to acknowledge Topuria as a legitimate title contender, suggesting he needed to secure a victory in the lightweight division before getting a title shot. Topuria also took issue with the suggestion that Makhachev might not vacate his title before potentially moving up to fight the new welterweight champion, Jack Della Maddalena.
Regardless of those past interactions, Topuria is now just one win away from securing lightweight championship gold. He believes this opportunity was destined for him, regardless of anything said by Makhachev or others.
Regarding Makhachev and his team, Topuria commented, “They attempted to make their opinions seem important. Their attitude was as if they believed they had invented the sport, you know? I thought, `Guys, just relax, enjoy yourselves wherever you are, and do what you are told to do.` When they made those comments, I was thinking, `What are they fabricating?` This was just two days before the real situation was eventually revealed. What were they even discussing? But everyone will recognize the truth now; just look at how things unfolded.”
He concluded, contrasting their earlier statements with the actual outcome: “`I am not going to vacate the title, even if I move up to 170.` `No, Ilia must fight someone to earn a title shot.` Now, observe the reality. He has moved up, he vacated the title, and I am fighting directly for the championship belt.”
