Ilya Topria doesn’t want to prolong her MMA career.
Topria recently shared some important career plans in an interview with the Spanish radio show El Partidazo de COPE. The UFC featherweight champion first revealed that his time in the 145-pound division is likely over. Topria also confirmed that he intends to move up to lightweight.
Ilya Topria says she plans to move up to lightweight 😳
Interviewer: “Is it possible that we’ve already seen your last featherweight fight?”
Iria: “Yes, certainly.”
Interviewer: “You’re moving to lightweight.”
*Iria nods*
(via. @partidazocope)pic.twitter.com/1i5V4PIb79
— Championship Round (@ChampRDS)
December 9, 2024
Lightweight champion Islam Makhachev will put his belt on the line against Arman Tsarukyan at UFC 311 on January 18th at the Intuit Dome in Los Angeles, California. It’s unlikely the winner of that fight will be back before April or May, but that would be Topuria’s preferred schedule for a rematch. The Spaniard is therefore eyeing a fight with lightweight title contender Charles Oliveira.
“Islam is planning to fight in January, but it won’t be ready in April.” [or] In May, I want to fight the No. 1 favorite, Charles Oliveira,” Topuria said (translation via Championship Round).
Topria won the featherweight title with a knockout win over Alexander Volkanovski at UFC 298 in February of this year. The undefeated champion defended his title with his first stoppage loss to Max Holloway at UFC 308 in October. Diego Lopez is pumped for a shot at Topuria’s title, but “El Matador” says he no longer has the motivation to fight at 145 pounds. The 27-year-old hopes to move up to lightweight next and hopefully retire by age 30.
“I’m 27 years old. I want to be out by 30. … Now in my division, there’s no more motivation to defend the belt. Now I want to move up the category. And we… “We’ll see how it all goes.” ”
Topria’s retirement plans drew a reaction from former UFC two-division champion Conor McGregor, perhaps the biggest star in the promotion’s history. The 36-year-old claims he has accomplished everything he set out to do by the age of 27.
“Here’s the truth that will hurt little people who don’t want to be anything,” McGregor wrote in a post on social media that has since been deleted. “Fighting was too easy for me. By the age of 27, I had done it all.”
Conor McGregor spoke out after Ilya Topria said he wanted to retire by the age of 30.
“Here’s the truth that will hurt all the little people who don’t want to be anyone. It was too easy for me to fight, I did everything by the age of 27.”#UFC
#mixed martial arts
pic.twitter.com/yia4spqmTU
— Championship Round (@ChampRDS)
December 10, 2024
McGregor last won a title in 2016 against Eddie Alvarez, making the Irishman a two-division champion. “Notorious” then dropped three of his final four bouts and was only able to stop Donald Cerrone in a 2020 welterweight bout. The Dubliner has been sidelined since breaking his foot in a loss to Dustin Poirier in 2021.
