Tag: Ilia Topuria

Paddy Pimblett explains why UFC 314 callout list didn’t include Ilia Topuria

In the cage at UFC 314, Paddy Pimblett rattled off a list of callouts – but Ilia Topuria was not mentioned.

MIAMI – [autotag]Paddy Pimblett[/autotag] made a statement with his performance Saturday at UFC 314. He then made a callout, or a series of them, on the microphone.

Four names came to mind: Justin Gaethje, Dustin Poirier, Charles Oliveira, and Arman Tsarukyan. One name was notedly missing, however.

[autotag]Ilia Topuria[/autotag] was not mentioned. But why?

“To be honest, I forgot about him,” Pimblett laughed, during a post-fight news conference. “I forgot all about him or I would’ve mentioned him in the cage, you know what I mean? I don’t call him ‘Hand Sanitizer Boy’ any more. … But like I said, I literally forgot all about him. That’s how irrelevant he is. I’m ranked higher than he is at lightweight, so I’d love to welcome him to 155.

Pimblett (23-3 MMA, 7-0 UFC) and Topuria (16-0 MMA, 8-0 UFC) have history stemming back to a March 2022 hotel altercation and online trash talk that led up to it.

Pimblett finished Michael Chandler at Kaseya Center on Saturday, the consensus biggest win over his career. According to Pimblett, there are a lot of similarities between what he did to Chandler (23-10 MMA, 2-5 UFC) and what he’d do to Topuria.

“Apparently, he’s sitting out and waiting for the title shot,” Pimblett said. What I just did to Chandler is half the blue print of beating him. He’s even more of a midget than Chandler is. I’ll do the exact same thing of what I did to Chandler. But as I said, anyone can get it, all the names I mentioned. And even McGregor, putting money on Chandler to win, lad? Like, the Irish-Scouse connection, lad. He’s meant to back me but he never (does).”

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One way or another, Pimblett is gunning for title gold. He hopes for one more contender fight and then a championship bout. 2026 is his target year to be crowned.

“I want to be a world champion,” Pimblett said. “I’ve always said that I’m going to be a world champion and beating a former champion like Charles Oliveira, who had two title defenses, he gets called the best submission artist the division has ever seen. So I’d like to go up against that because I think I’ve got better submissions than Charles Oliveira. … I f*cking hope so. 2026, I want that belt wrapped around my waist.”

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For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC 314.

Alexander Volkanovski respects Ilia Topuria for vacating UFC featherweight title

Alexander Volkanovski admits he didn’t expect Ilia Topuria to relinquish his UFC featherweight belt.

MIAMI – [autotag]Alexander Volkanovski[/autotag] admits he didn’t expect [autotag]Ilia Topuria[/autotag] to relinquish his UFC featherweight belt.

Topuria opted to leave his 145-pound title behind for a move up to lightweight. As a result, Volkanovski (26-5 MMA, 13-4 UFC) will battle Diego Lopes (26-6 MMA, 5-1 UFC) for the vacant title in Saturday’s UFC 314 main event (ESPN+ pay-per-view) at Kaseya Center from Miami.

“The Great” figured Topuria (16-0 MMA, 8-0 UFC) would attempt to chase dual-champion status.

“I was pretty surprised with him vacating,” Volkanovski told MMA Junkie and other reporters Wednesday at UFC 314 media day. “I knew he wanted to chase the lightweight title, to move up. I heard him saying that, but I didn’t think he would give up the belt that easy. I thought he would try and hold it. That’s why you’ve got to have respect for that, for him to not want to hold up a division.”

Volkanovski lost his featherweight title to Topuria by knockout at UFC 298 last February. After Topuria defended his title with a knockout of Max Holloway at UFC 308, he welcomed the idea of a rematch with Volkanovski, but wound up changing divisions.

“Obviously I wanted that fight back. I wanted to get that win back,” Volkanovski said. “I was hoping to fight a bit later last year, October, maybe December-ish. It was starting to drag on. I got to a point where I was like, ‘All right, if he’s going to wait around, I’ll do an interim against someone and then we’ll fight.’ It got to that point. So it wasn’t a surprise that he moved up, but surprise that he vacated.”

Volkanovski isn’t ruling out the possibility to get the chance to avenge his loss to Topuria.

“I plan on being that active, defending champ,” Volkanovski said. “Once he’s done his fight, if he was to win the belt, imagine us running it back, both champions after me having this little title reign. I’m expecting to have a couple of fights by the time he fights (again), to be honest – that’s how active I want to be. So you can just imagine how big that rematch could be. Getting that win back, is still an opportunity not too far in.”

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For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC 314.

Overreaction Time: UFC 314 pressure packed! Islam Makhachev letting us down? More!

Check out the latest episode of “Overreaction Time” covering the massive UFC 314 lineup this weekend and more.

The time for overreacting is here!

Check out the latest episode of “Overreaction Time” at noon ET/9 a.m. PT as host Simon Samano and MMA Junkie senior reporter Mike Bohn debate these “overreactions” on the following topics in mixed martial arts:

  • 1:00 – [autotag]Lerone Murphy[/autotag] still has a long ways to go before he can challenge for the UFC featherweight title.
  • 5:14 – Of the four fighters in the UFC 314 main and co-main events, [autotag]Paddy Pimblett[/autotag] is under the most pressure.
  • 12:05 – The fighter most likely to steal the show at UFC 314 is [autotag]Jean Silva[/autotag].
  • 18:00 – [autotag]Islam Makhachev[/autotag] not fighting [autotag]Ilia Topuria[/autotag] would be a big letdown — and a UFC failure.
  • 25:21 – [autotag]Conor McGregor[/autotag] will go down as the biggest “what if” in UFC history.

Watch the full episode in the video above.

Dan Hooker: ‘Ilia Topuria didn’t do anything that incredible’ vs. Alexander Volkanovski

Dan Hooker thinks the quick turnaround hampered Alexander Volkanovski’s performance against Ilia Topuria.

[autotag]Dan Hooker[/autotag] thinks a quick turnaround hampered [autotag]Alexander Volkanovski[/autotag]’s performance against [autotag]Ilia Topuria[/autotag].

After five title defenses, Volkanovski (26-4 MMA, 13-3 UFC) lost his featherweight title to Topuria by knockout at UFC 298 in February 2024. “The Great” made a four-month turnaround after getting knocked out by lightweight champion Islam Makhachev at UFC 294.

Hooker relates to the affects a quick turnaround can have on a performance.

“I feel like he just turned too quickly around from the Islam Makhachev fight,” Hooker told Sky Sports New Zealand. “I don’t think Ilia Topuria did anything that incredible. I feel like he just fought (too soon), and I’ve been there. When I fought Paul Felder and then I fought Dustin Poirier kind of back-to-back and then rushed into the Michael Chandler fight. It’s not like Michael Chandler did anything that was lightening incredible. You need to learn that as a veteran fighter, and there’s only one way to learn it, and that’s the hard way.

“The body can only take so much punishment before it needs time to fully recoup. Especially if you’re fighting these five-round fights, you need to be putting a good amount of stretch, and it takes longer to recover from a five round fight. Especially what Volkanovski has been going through, five-round championship training camps, and just putting them so consistently. He has been one of the most consistent champions for the UFC. Stepping up to the plate, fighting, jumping in on short notice. Like, he just needed a bit more time between these fights to let his body fully recover.”

man and and still the champ, I can’t wait to be there.”

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With Topuria relinquishing his featherweight title, Volkanovski will battle Diego Lopes (26-6 MMA, 5-1 UFC) for the vacant belt in the UFC 314 main event (ESPN+ pay-per-view, ESPN/Disney+, ESPN+) April 12 from Kaseya Center in Miami.

Hooker will be there to support his City Kickboxing teammate.

“Yeah, I’m going over,” Hooker said. “I’m pretty sure Israel’s (Adesanya) going over, and we’ll just head over and obviously support Alexander Volkanovski. What is it? 10 consecutive title fights in a row. Tough, young competitor against Lopes.

“It’s going to be one heck of a fight, and I can’t wait to be sitting cage slide and just soaking it up. To get back after these two hard fights, the toughest time in his career, and to not only get through that, but to be on the other side of it and to be able to raise that title again and and prove that he’s still the

For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC 314.

Ignacio Bahamondes doesn’t think Ilia Topuria should get UFC lightweight title shot

Rising UFC contender Ignacio Bahamondes offers his services to welcome former champion Ilia Topuria to the lightweight divsion.

MEXICO CITY – [autotag]Ignacio Bahamondes[/autotag] just put his name in the hat for a potential fight against former UFC featherweight champion [autotag]Ilia Topuria[/autotag].

Bahamondes (17-5 MMA, 6-2 UFC), a young, rising lightweight contender, doesn’t think Topuria (15-0 MMA, 8-0 UFC) should get the next shot at UFC lightweight champion Islam Makhachev for his first fight of his recent move up to 155 pounds. Bahamondes feels Topuria first needs to prove his worth, and he thinks he’s the right dance partner for him.

“The truth is that he did great things at featherweight,” Bahamondes said in Spanish at a UFC Q&A. “Maybe he was missing two more defenses so he could move up as champion and get himself a direct fight against the champion.

“I think that right now he needs to demonstrate he can do the same work he did at featherweight now at 155. I think he should get a top 15 or 10 because of his merit of being a champion, a weight class below. I would love to welcome him if that’s something the company wants. I’m here.”

It’s uncertain the direction the UFC will go next with the lightweight title picture.

Should the Topuria fight come to fruition or not, Bahamondes thinks in two years time he’ll be challenging for UFC gold. This bold statement comes after Bahamondes entered the top-15 of the UFC lightweight division earlier this month with his quick submission win over Jalin Turner on the main card of UFC 313.

“I think for the top 10 I just need one or two more fights,” Bahamondes said. “And to enter the top five, give me two years for me to be fighting for the title.”

Bahamondes, 27, is on a three-fight winning streak and 6-1 in his past seven outings. His lone defeat came against veteran Ludovit Klein back in 2023. Bahamondes trains out of Valle Flow Striking alongside UFC welterweight champion Belal Muhammad.

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Henry Cejudo suggests Khabib Nurmagomedov could prevent Makhachev vs. Topuria from happening

Henry Cejudo believes UFC Hall of Famer Khabib Nurmagomedov could get in the way of Islam Makhachev defending his title against Ilia Topuria.

[autotag]Henry Cejudo[/autotag] believes UFC Hall of Famer [autotag]Khabib Nurmagomedov[/autotag] could get in the way of [autotag]Islam Makhachev[/autotag] defending his lightweight title against [autotag]Ilia Topuria[/autotag].

In a chat with Cejudo this past December, Nurmagomedov said he’d be against Topuria (16-0 MMA, 8-0 UFC) getting an immediate shot at Makhachev (26-1 MMA, 15-1 UFC) and his belt.

“I remember talking to Khabib, and Khabib said it’s not fair for Ilia to skip the line and go after the title shot with Islam because that’s all Islam’s been doing,” Cejudo told MMA Junkie. “He gave Volkanovski a couple (title shots) where he’s gone up. So I don’t even think it’s going to be Islam’s choice. I think Khabib is going to step in and be like, ‘He needs to fight the No. 1 contender.'”

Although Topuria recently revealed that the UFC promised him an immediate lightweight title shot after he opted to vacate his featherweight title, Cejudo thinks Nurmagomedov’s stipulation will be put into play.

“Khabib said if Ilia does beat a No. 1 contender then sure, we’ll do that,” Cejudo said. “I personally think that Islam will fight anybody, anytime, anywhere. There’s a quote on him at the PI that says that, but I think that the person that’s more likely going to play backup is going to be Khabib Nurmagomedov. He’s going to say no, so for that reason, I am guessing it’s going to be Justin Gaethje vs. Islam Makhachev, International Fight Week.”

As for Topuria, Cejudo sees him fighting one of the division’s staples.

“They could probably give Ilia Dustin Poirier in Louisiana,” Cejudo said. “Because I’m thinking Charles doesn’t want to fight Ilia Topuria, he says ‘I’ll fight him when I’m champ.’ So, I don’t know how much pull he has there, but if a fighter is saying he won’t fight somebody for that title shot because he already did get that opportunity and he lost, he doesn’t have leverage. The UFC will just shelf you. So, I can see Ilia Topuria vs. Dustin Poirier.”

To hear more from Cejudo, check out his complete appears on “The Bohnfire” podcast with MMA Junkie senior reporter Mike Bohn.

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Ilia Topuria says UFC promised lightweight title shot after vacating belt

Ilia Topuria claims UFC executives have “always kept their promises,” so he’s certain his next fight is for UFC lightweight gold.

[autotag]Ilia Topuria[/autotag] appears to have real trust in his relationship with the UFC brass, and because of that, has the utmost confidence his next fight will be for the lightweight championship.

Topuria (15-0 MMA, 8-0 UFC) will officially vacate the featherweight title in less than two weeks when he Alexander Volkanovski and Diego Lopes battle to become new champ at UFC 314 in Miami on April 12. When that fight begins, Topuria will no longer hold gold at 145 pounds, and his move up to 155 pounds will become official.

Since Topuria announced in February that he was going to be giving up the strap, there has been rampant speculation and discussion about whether he would challenge for the belt right away. Almost everyone in the sport has offered an opinion on whether that’s fair or foul, given champ Islam Makhachev has already been criticized for defending against smaller or underprepared opponents during his reign.

Topuria has seemingly decided to put an end to all the noise, because he claims the UFC assured him of a lightweight title fight when discussions about vacating were ongoing. And to this point in his experience dealing with the company, he said there’s no reason to hold any doubts.

“The UFC promised me I’d fight for the belt,” Topuria told reporters (H/T: Irato Prat) following Saturday’s WOW 17 event in Madrid, Spain. “That’s why I vacated it. And they’ve always kept their promise.”

Despite Topuria’s comments, there is no evidence at this point that his statement is 100 percent accurate. UFC CEO Dana White has said this month that Topuria’s next fight has not been decided and it’s possible he could fight someone else before challenging for the belt.

Meanwhile, Makhachev hasn’t publicly weighed in on the situation, while former champion Charles Oliveira has got into something of a war of words with Topuria over social media and interviews.

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Daniel Cormier: UFC champ Islam Makhachev is ‘not afraid’ of Ilia Topuria

Daniel Cormier fires back at the notion that elite UFC lightweights are afraid of Ilia Topuria.

[autotag]Daniel Cormier[/autotag] is firing back at the notion that elite lightweight are afraid of [autotag]Ilia Topuria[/autotag].

Topuria (16-0 MMA, 8-0 UFC), who is vacating the UFC featherweight title to move up to the lightweight division, recently said he’s targeting a title shot vs. [autotag]Islam Makhachev[/autotag] (27-1 MMA, 16-1 UFC) or a No. 1 contender bout with Charles Oliveira for his next fight. However, he thinks both men want no part of him.

UFC Hall of Famer and commentator Cormier disputes that claim, and although he has immense respect for Topuria’s skillset, he doesn’t think casting a narrative that fear is involved, is utterly off base.

“The important thing is, all the conversation surrounds Ilia Topuria right now,” Cormier said Friday on his YouTube channel. “Ilia said that he wants a title fight. Point blank. He said he’s focusing all of his training (on Islam Makhachev and Charles Oliveira). … Ilia Topuria is a cool guy, but I kind of disagree. I know for sure Islam Makhachev is not afraid of him.

“I’ll tell you this as a person that’s a friend of Islam, a person that’s known Islam for years and years. He’s not afraid of him. Ilia Topuria might strike some fear in most, or some, Islam’s not afraid of him. And I’ll be honest with you: Neither is Justin Gaethje. Neither is Charles Oliveira. Neither is Dustin Poirier, or Michael Chandler. Those guys aren’t afraid of each other. They’re fighters, and when you’re a fighter, fear is kind of the last thing that crosses your mind in regards to another fighter, especially if all you have to do is fight him.”

Cormier said he understands why Makhachev may not want to face Topuria. His record-setting lightweight title reign has been criticized for being filled with opponent who are undersized or underprepared, and he doesn’t want that perception to continue.

Ultimately, though, Cormier said Makhachev vs. Topuria is a box office fight for the UFC, and if it’s all about the money, then any matchup offers for Topuria should be considered seriously.

“Islam doesn’t want to fight someone who has been at 145. Charles wants a title fight,” Cormier said. “There’s so many people that have a clear idea of what their direction is, and that’s why I think they don’t want to fight Ilia. But ultimately, to fight Ilia, is to be in the biggest fight that the weight class can give you right now.”

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Charles Oliveira responds to ‘very disrespectful’ Ilia Topuria amid lightweight title-shot campaign

Charles Oliveira and Ilia Topuria continue to chirp at each other in attempt to stake their claim at a lightweight title shot.

[autotag]Charles Oliveira[/autotag] and [autotag]Ilia Topuria[/autotag] continue to chirp at each other in attempt to stake their claim at a lightweight title shot.

Topuria vacated his UFC featherweight title for a move up to lightweight, and wants an immediate shot at champion Islam Makhachev. Oliveira (35-10 MMA, 23-10 UFC), who’s coming off a five-round decision win over Michael Chandler at UFC 309, is also gunning for his shot.

Topuria (16-0 MMA, 8-0 UFC) brushed off Oliveira’s campaign by taking aim at his resume.

https://www.instagram.com/p/DHhTrGQRbig/?img_index=1

Oliveira clapped back at Topuria.

“It’s been 15 years in the UFC, respecting everybody,” Oliveira said on “The Ariel Helwani Show” through an interpreter. “I’ve said it already: My story is written there. Everybody can see it. He’s coming from a champion of featherweight division, and now trying to come up and show this.

“But I have firepower in my wrists, and I’m really focused on the belt itself. It’s not about who it’s going to be on my way, but getting the belt. He’s just trying to dig out a fight. He’s saying a lot of crap. I really respect his fights, the way he’s come up and everything, but he’s being very disrespectful now and is saying a lot of things that he shouldn’t.”

If the UFC does decide to go with Makhachev vs. Topuria, where does that leave Oliveira?

“Bottom line is Makhachev is the guy that has to be beat,” Oliveira said. “If (Topuria is) the next one to fight him, then so be it. I’m just an employee here. If he’s given the chance and not me, I’m going to keep fighting, keep preparing and keep waiting for my turn to come around. It is what it is. I don’t think much about it. I’ll fight whoever comes to fight me and that’s about it.”

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Michael Chandler doubts Ilia Topuria walks around at 190 pounds: ‘I’ve stood next to the man’

Michael Chandler isn’t buying that Ilia Topuria walks around that heavy.

[autotag]Michael Chandler[/autotag] isn’t buying that [autotag]Ilia Topuria[/autotag] walks around that heavy.

Topuria’s (16-0 MMA, 8-0 UFC) manager claimed that Topuria used to cut almost 50 pounds to make the 145-pound featherweight limit, which is what prompted him to vacate his title for a move up to lightweight.

Chandler (23-9 MMA, 2-4 UFC) thinks the claim by Topuria’s manager is an over embellishment.

“I think he’s lying about the weight a little bit,” Chandler said in an interview with Covers.com. “I don’t think he weighs 190 pounds. I’ve seen the man. I’ve stood next to the man. We’ve had conversations.

“With that being said, yeah, I think it would be cool for him to come in and fight somebody inside the top five to get the title shot. But then, again, the UFC does what they want to do, and they put on the biggest fights that make sense, and Topuria vs. Islam (Makhachev) makes a lot of sense.”

Topuria fought once at lightweight when he knocked out Jai Herbert to earn his first UFC bonus in March 2022. He then moved back down to featherweight, where he went on a run which included dethroning Alexander Volkanovski to become champion, then defending his belt against Max Holloway with another knockout at UFC 308.

UFC lightweight champion Makhachev and his team think Topuria should have to beat a top contender before fighting for the title. Chandler, who meets Paddy Pimblett in the UFC 314 co-main event April 12 in Miami, agrees – and warns Topuria that lightweight will be a different experience.

“Conventional wisdom would say yes, (he should not jump straight in with Makhachev),” Chandler said. “His (fourth) fight in the UFC was at lightweight. He got dropped by a head kick. Now, I’m not going to say that is going to happen, or us lightweights are so much bigger and badder than the little featherweights. That’s just hyperbole. But I will say, these are some big dudes. We hit a lot harder than the 145’ers. It’s going to be a very interesting jump up.”

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For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC 314.