I have no intention of leaving the title vacant. The decision to move up to the next category is entirely mine. We haven’t had any discussions with the UFC yet, so everything is still up in the air. Stop celebrating because you’re not going anywhere. I have conquered my division, and I intend to…
— Ilia Topria (@Topurialia)
December 12, 2024
Ilia Topuria is cryptic about her plans to move up to lightweight.
The Ultimate Fighting Championship featherweight champion recently revealed that age 145 may be his last due to a lack of new challengers. Topuria (16-0) said he plans to move up to lightweight to face Charles Oliveira, ultimately win the title and retire before he turns 30. “El Matador” attracted the attention of lightweight fighters such as Dustin Poirier, Paddy Pimblett and Renato “Money”. Moicano announced plans to move up to No. 155. Meanwhile, Diego Lopez, who was initially fighting for the featherweight title against Topuria, has shifted his focus to what came before. Champion Alexander Volkanovski.
But Topuria just recently warned everyone to hold onto their horses. The Georgian-Spanish said he has no intention of leaving the 145-pound belt vacant and has not yet discussed plans for the lightweight division with the UFC. But the 27-year-old also vows to one day win a title at lightweight.
“I will not leave the title vacant,” Topuria told X. “The decision to move up to the next category is completely mine. I haven’t had any discussions with the UFC yet, so everything is still up in the air. Stop celebrating because it’s not going anywhere. I won my division and I plan to do the same in the next division.”
Meanwhile, Topria’s coach Jorge Kliment Tommasi seems confident in the champion’s move to lightweight. Tommasi said Topuria is tired of cutting weight on the 145, which is becoming consistently more difficult. Tommasi claims that “El Matador” sometimes walks around weighing 187.
“He has to lose weight, but every time he does it it’s very difficult… He doesn’t want to do this anymore… Ilia weighs 85 kg, but he needs to be 66 kg. … We’re making a very significant weight cut,” Tommasi told Submission. wireless.
Topria won the 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 knockout loss to Max Holloway at UFC 308 in October.
