Tag: Ilia Topuria

All Charles Olveira wants next is to fight for a UFC title belt ‘either way’

Former UFC champion Charles Oliveira isn’t sure how he fits into the suddenly crowded top of the 155-pound division, but he knows what he wants.

Former UFC lightweight champion [autotag]Charles Oliveira[/autotag] isn’t sure how he fits into the suddenly crowded top of the 155-pound division, but he knows he wants his next fight to be for a title belt.

“The division is very complicated,” Oliveira said in an interview with online sportsbook Oddspedia. “I think I deserve to be next in line, but I work for Zuffa. There is talk about Dustin Poirier, Justin Gaethje, Ilia Topuria. I’m just waiting on the call. I don’t know who is next. There is talk, but I just don’t know.”

The possibilities seem endless coming out of last week’s UFC 313 where [autotag]Justin Gaethje[/autotag] defeated Rafael Fiziev in another barnburner between the two. Afterward, Gaethje made his case for a shot at [autotag]Islam Makhachev[/autotag], especially since he represents the only fresh matchup of the top three fighters officially ranked behind the reigning UFC champion. [autotag]Arman Tsarukyan[/autotag], No.1, and No. 2 Oliveira have both been beaten by Makhachev before, although Tsarukyan lost out on his chance at a rematch in January by withdrawing from their UFC 311 title fight. No. 3 Gaethje is certainly also under consideration, but there’s a potential X-factor in [autotag]Ilia Topuria[/autotag], who is vacating his featherweight title for a move to lightweight.

If Topuria doesn’t get an immediate title shot at 155 pounds, Oliveira wouldn’t mind welcoming him to the division.

“Whoever I get told to fight, I’m going to fight,” Oliveira said. “I have nothing but respect for Ilia Topuria, but this is lightweight. It’s the most difficult division you have ever seen, and I have power in my hands. I believe in my jiu-jitsu, but I believe that I could knock Illa Topuria out.”

A fight with Topuria, however, wouldn’t be for a UFC belt. And if it’s not a title-fight rematch with Makhachev that comes next, Oliveira prefers to run it back with Max Holloway for his BMF title belt.

“A fight against Max Holloway would be huge, and I’m confident that it would be me with my arm raised,” Oliveira said. “The first time we fought I had an injury that stopped me performing. We are both aggressive fighters, and I believe in the power in my hands, as well as my BJJ. There would be a lot of hype around the fight.

“I would be chasing the knockout, and the BMF means the toughest guy in the division, right? I want to show that I’m the toughest guy in the
division. When we speak about legacy, we speak about being the champion, but BMF is about being the toughest guy, and that’s what I consider myself to be in this division. I believe that I have shown that, and having the BMF belt is the only thing that is missing.”

Oliveira, who’s coming off an entertaining win over Michael Chandler last November, remains unclear as to what his future holds. But as long as he fights for a belt next, he’ll be happy.

“I want to fight for a title either way,” Oliveira said. “Now I’m just sitting waiting for the call.”

Michael Bisping: It would be a ‘massive market opportunity lost’ if Islam Makhachev doesn’t fight Ilia Topuria

Michael Bisping thinks Ilia Topuria will get his wish to fight UFC lightweight champion Islam Makhachev.

[autotag]Michael Bisping[/autotag] thinks [autotag]Ilia Topuria[/autotag] will get his wish to fight UFC lightweight champion [autotag]Islam Makhachev[/autotag].

Although Makhachev doesn’t like the idea of fighting another featherweight, Bisping thinks it would be silly for the UFC to risk jeopardizing a big fight between Makhachev and Topuria.

Justin Gaethje called for a title shot after beating Rafael Fiziev Saturday at UFC 313, and Arman Tsarukyan and Charles Oliveira are eager for their rematches with Makhachev. If Topuria ends up in a No. 1 contender bout instead, Bisping sees that as a risky move by the UFC.

“Realistically, there’s a ton of options for Ilia Topuria, but the reality is, Islam Makhachev has got to fight somebody soon, and so does Ilia Topuria,” Bisping said on his YouTube channel. “Justin Gaethje wants to fight for the belt, but Justin Gaethje really doesn’t give a sh*t right now. I think Justin Gaethje is happy making the phenomenal amount of money that he is and just going out there and being able to be himself.

“So realistically, any of those guys that I just mentioned: Islam, Arman, Charles, Justin, any single one of them. And it might be one of them. But it’s probably going to be, if you asked me to bet, I think Islam Makhachev vs. Ilia Topuria. Any of those guys – Arman, Charles, Justin – sure, they’d all be phenomenal fights and they’d all have a realistic chance of potentially beating Ilia Topuria.”

Bisping sees Makhachev vs. Topuria as one of the biggest fights the UFC could make.

“Granted, Ilia is special, but if he lost to them, there’s a massive market opportunity lost there, because Ilia vs. Islam – Ilia with the rise, Ilia still being in a lot of people’s minds the featherweight champion against the lightweight champion – there’s something there,” Bisping said. “If he loses to Gaethje, but then two or three fights later gets a shot, it’s not quite the same sell.

“The public wouldn’t be quite still as invested. So I think they’re going to give him the title fight. I think Islam is going to take it. Granted, he wants a shot at becoming a two-weight champion, but he’s going to have to wait for a while because of Belal (Muhammad). So in the meantime, you take out Ilia Topuria, which would be an absolutely blockbuster fight.”

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Beneil Dariush wouldn’t be against Ilia Topuria getting a title shot vs. UFC champion Islam Makhachev

Beneil Dariush approves of Ilia Topuria getting an immediate title shot at lightweight.

[autotag]Beneil Dariush[/autotag] approves of [autotag]Ilia Topuria[/autotag] getting an immediate title shot at lightweight.

Topuria (16-0 MMA, 8-0 UFC) vacated his UFC featherweight belt after admitting that the weight cut was too strenuous on him. “El Matador” is eyeing a title fight against lightweight champion [autotag]Islam Makhachev[/autotag].

Despite only defending his title once with a knockout of Max Holloway at UFC 308, Dariush (22-6-1 MMA, 16-6 UFC) doesn’t see anyone else in the lightweight title picture as more worthy at the moment.

“You can’t really disagree with it,” Dariush told MMA Junkie. “Because he became champion, he defended his belt, and he’s just like, ‘Hey, I’m too big. I don’t want to make this weight cut anymore, so I want to fight ’55.’ I wouldn’t be against him fighting for 155, especially since the UFC said they’re not going to allow Arman (Tsarukyan) to have his fight for the title.

“So, if Arman’s not getting the title shot, Charles Oliveira – I understand he’s supposed to be the No. 1 contender, but I would say Ilia’s credentials are better at this moment. He’s riding quite the win streak so, I definitely wouldn’t be like, ‘Oh, this is a mistake. They shouldn’t have this fight.'”

Dariush can see where Makhachev (27-1 MMA, 16-1 UFC) is coming from when he says he doesn’t want to fight another featherweight in Topuria, but says this time it’s a little different.

“I think the situation is this, I don’t think Makhachev really wants to fight another ’45’er,” Dariush continued. “He fought (Alexander) Volkanovski because he wanted to be pound-for-pound champion because at that time, Volkanovski was. He beat Volkanovski so he’s kind of over that I would say.

“He doesn’t really want to fight another 145’er. But, the difference now is Ilia is moving up and he’s an actual ’55’er. He’s not going back down to 145. All it requires is for Makhachev to agree. If Makhachev agrees to fight him, I think the fight happens

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Manager details what’s truly behind Ilia Topuria’s move to lightweight

UFC champion Ilia Topuria’s manager provided insight on his move up to lightweight.

[autotag]Ilia Topuria[/autotag]’s manager provided insight on his move up to lightweight.

After back-to-back knockouts of Alexander Volkanovski and Max Holloway, Topuria (16-0 MMA, 8-0 UFC) vacated his UFC featherweight title for a move up to 155 pounds.

With a Volkanovski rematch on the table, as well as top contenders Diego Lopes and Movsar Evloev waiting for their featherweight shots, many questioned Topuria’s move. His manager, Malki Kawa, revealed that the weight cut was a big reason.

“The truth is that the weight cut is hard for him,” Kawa said on “The Ariel Helwani Show.” “Look, when you’ve been in this business for as long as we’ve been in it, you kind of learn certain things. And the longevity of fighters, especially at the highest level, when you talk about being a champion, you’re talking about a guy who has to fight the Volkanovskis, the Charles (Oliveira), the Islams (Makhachev), the Max (Holloways).

“You’re talking about fighting the best guys in the world. If you’re cutting all that weight, what you’re basically also doing is taking years off your fighting life. So this guy is looking at longevity. He’s looking at the fact that it’s almost a 50-pound cut every time. It’s time to move up to 155. I’m confident that Islam will accept it. I’m confident that we’ll be fighting for that belt, but it’s really not on us. It’s on them.”

UFC lightweight champion Islam Makhachev is not interested in facing another 145-pounder in Topuria after two of his four title defenses came over ex-featherweight champ Volkanovski. “El Matador” recently teased news that would catch everyone off guard.

“When we announce it, you won’t believe it. Get ready.”

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Henry Cejudo: Justin Gaethje can push Ilia Topuria out of title picture with UFC 313 win

Henry Cejudo could see Justin Gaethje emerge as the No. 1 contender after UFC 313.

[autotag]Henry Cejudo[/autotag] could see [autotag]Justin Gaethje[/autotag] emerge as the No. 1 contender after UFC 313.

Gaethje (25-5 MMA, 8-5 UFC) rematches Rafael Fiziev (12-3 MMA, 6-3 UFC) in Saturday’s co-main event at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas (ESPN+ pay-per-view, ESPNews/Disney+, ESPN+).

Gaethje knows UFC lightweight champion Islam Makhachev is seeking new blood, and “The Highlight” is yet to fight him. [autotag]Ilia Topuria[/autotag] vacated his featherweight title for a move up to 155 pounds, but Cejudo recalls his conversation with Khabib Nurmagomedov, and how he thinks Topuria needs at least one win before a title shot.

“I just feel like there’s a statement that Justin Gaethje needs to do, that wants to do,” Cejudo said on his “Pound 4 Pound” podcast with Kamaru Usman. “This is what I love about Justin. He’s creating a storyline of him saying that if I go out and perform, I am going to skip Ilia Topuria and I am going to fight Islam Makhachev. I love it.

“I do believe it could actually happen because when I sat down with Khabib (Nurmagomedov) and I asked, ‘Does Ilia Topuria deserve a title shot at 155 pounds?’ you know what Khabib said? ‘He needs to fight the No. 1 contender.’ So I do believe with a great victory for Justin Gaethje, that he can slide in there and tell Ilia Topuria, ‘Move out of the way. This is my turn. You’ve got to fight the No. 1 contender.”

Topuria (16-0 MMA, 8-0 UFC) recently teased news that he says will surprise everyone.

“When we announce it, you won’t believe it. Get ready.”

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For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC 313.

UFC title or not, Movsar Evloev willing to chase Ilia Topuria to lightweight

Fighting Ilia Topuria is not about the UFC title for Movsar Evloev.

Fighting [autotag]Ilia Topuria[/autotag] is not about the UFC title for [autotag]Movsar Evloev[/autotag].

Topuria (16-0 MMA, 8-0 UFC) vacated his UFC featherweight belt for a move up to 155 pounds before Evloev (19-0 MMA, 9-0 UFC) got his opportunity at a title shot.

Evloev’s goal is to first capture the 145-pound belt, but still wants to face Topuria – even if he has to follow him to lightweight. The pair were booked to fight each other at UFC 270 in January 2022, but Evloev withdrew after testing positive for COVID-19.

“Yeah, I’m making my backpack for 155 (pounds), but first of all, I need this (featherweight) title, and then I’ll go after him,” Evloev told Home of Fight. “Not fighting for the title necessarily, but him.

“He beat almost everyone in the featherweight division, so he’s stronger than everybody here – except me. Me and him, there’s a question between us. I will let people know who is the strongest featherweight, even if we fight at lightweight.”

Topuria’s goal is to immediately challenge UFC lightweight champion Islam Makhachev upon his arrival to the division. If “El Matador” does get his wish, Evloev doesn’t like his chances.

“Islam for sure, but it’s MMA, everything can happen,” Evloev said. “He has enough power, and if Islam will be ready for the fight, he will definitely beat this guy easy.”

Despite Evloev’s run in the featherweight division, which includes three-straight wins over Deigo Lopes, Arnold Allen and Aljamain Sterling, he won’t be getting a title shot next. Instead, Alexander Volkanovski and Lopes will battle for the vacant featherweight belt in the UFC 314 main event April 12 at Kaseya Center from Miami.

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Paddy Pimblett makes bold prediction about Ilia Topuria’s move to lightweight

Paddy Pimblett doesn’t see Ilia Topuria having success at lightweight.

[autotag]Paddy Pimblett[/autotag] doesn’t see [autotag]Ilia Topuria[/autotag] having success at lightweight.

Topuria (16-0 MMA, 8-0 UFC) vacated his UFC featherweight title for a move up to 155 pounds. Pimblett doubts “El Matador” gets an immediate title shot at lightweight champion Islam Makhachev, and UFC CEO Dana White said it’s not a guarantee, either.

Pimblett (22-3 MMA, 6-0 UFC) went off on Topuria and warned him of what’s to come at 155 pounds.

“That’s the fight I want,” Pimblett told Round Eight Boxing of Topuria. “I want that fight. That’s another one just to prove everyone wrong. He’s a midget, lad. He’s not a lightweight. He shouldn’t be fighting at lightweight. He should just stop at featherweight. It’s going to be the downfall of his career.”

With back-to-back knockouts of Alexander Volkanovski and Max Holloway, Topuria thinks he’s done all he needs to do at featherweight, but Pimblett disagrees.

“It’s a big mistake,” Pimblett said. “I think he knew that in a rematch with Volk, fighting Volk when he hasn’t been knocked out 12 weeks earlier with a naughty head kick, I think he knew Volk would give him a very tough test.

“He said he cemented his legacy at the weight. It’s a little bit of bullsh*t. Beat Volk again, beat (Diego) Lopes, beat (Movsar) Evloev, then you’ve cleared the division out then move up. Champions are too quick to want to move up now and not defend the belt.”

Pimblett will look to continue his rise up the lightweight ranks when he takes on former title challenger Michael Chandler (23-9 MMA, 2-4 UFC) in the UFC 314 co-main event April 12 at Kaseya Center in Miami (ESPN+ pay-per-view).

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

Overreaction Time: Ilia Topuria vacates properly, UFC 314 goes big, a UFC screwjob?, more!

Check out the latest episode of “Overreaction Time” covering a HUGE week of fight bookings by the UFC.

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:

  • UFC Seattle: [autotag]Henry Cejudo[/autotag] will only hurt his legacy if he continues fighting.
  • Nobody should have a problem with [autotag]Ilia Topuria[/autotag]’s move to lightweight.
  • UFC 314: [autotag]Diego Lopes[/autotag] faces more pressure than [autotag]Alexander Volkanovski[/autotag].
  • UFC 314: [autotag]Michael Chandler[/autotag] will prove if [autotag]Paddy Pimblett[/autotag] is legit or all hype.
  • UFC 314: [autotag]Yair Rodriguez[/autotag] is a perfect first test for [autotag]Patricio Freire[/autotag]’s debut.
  • UFC 315/UFC London: [autotag]Belal Muhammad[/autotag] caught a break, but [autotag]Leon Edwards[/autotag] got shafted.
  • UFC 315: [autotag]Valentina Shevchenko[/autotag] vs. [autotag]Manon Fiorot[/autotag] is the best women’s fight we’ll get this year.

Watch the full episode in the video above.

Diego Lopes says Ilia Topuria vacating title after UFC’s ‘very clear’ message

Diego Lopes says UFC’s reenforced stance against champ-vs.-champ fights led to Ilia Topuria vacating the featherweight title.

[autotag]Diego Lopes[/autotag] claims the UFC is no longer willing to stage champion-vs.-champion fights, and that’s why [autotag]Ilia Topuria[/autotag] is giving up the featherweight title.

UFC CEO Dana White rocked the MMA world this week when he announced that Topuria would be giving up the 145-pound title because he thinks he’s cleaned out the division and is struggling to make the weight. As a result, Lopes (26-6 MMA, 5-1 UFC) will face Alexander Volkanovski (26-4 MMA, 13-3 UFC) for the vacant belt in the main event of UFC 314 on April 12 at Kaseya Center in Miami (ESPN+ pay-per-view, ESPN, ESPN+).

Topuria (16-0 MMA, 8-0 UFC) has made no secrets about his desire to move to lightweight and challenge Islam Makhachev, but many wondered how it would materialize. According to Lopes, vacating the strap was an essential first step. He claims messaging from UFC brass indicated that Topuria getting a title shot at 155 pounds would not be in play unless he made a full commitment to the division.

“They were very clear to us that they said they are no longer giving a chance to jump from one weight class to another,” Lopes told ESPN in Spanish. “If you want to move up, you have to vacate your title. This is what the UFC has said to all the champions who are planning to move up a weight class. They will no longer have the status of double champion simultaneously.”

There have only been limited instances of the UFC booking champion-vs.-champion fights over the course of its more than 30-year history. Only seven such matchups have occurred, and only three times (Conor McGregor vs. Eddie Alvarez, Daniel Cormier vs. Stipe Miocic, and Amanda Nunes vs. Cris Cyborg) did the winner emerge as a simultaneous two-division titleholder.

Outside of Nunes, there’s no situation where a UFC fighter spent a prolonged period as a dual-division champ, but the UFC seemingly doesn’t even want that to happen any more.

Lopes would’ve liked to see Topuria stick around the weight class and fight more of the contenders, but he understands the reasoning behind his decision and offered his full support.

“I think in the end, it’s up to each individual to decide,” Lopes said. “If (Ilia Topuria) feels he has nothing else to do in the division, well, he should move forward with his career. I know that in the division we have very good fighters that could give very good fights against him. We can even put him in some serious trouble or even defeat him. But if he feels that, because he defeated Max (Holloway) and (Alexander Volkanovski), who are legends in the division, his work his done, well, it’s fine. He has the right to believe. So go ahead.”

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

Video: Ilia Topuria, Alexander Volkanovski have friendly backstage encounter at UFC 312

Ilia Topuria and Alexander Volkanovski seemingly have no animosity as a potential UFC title rematch looms.

As a potential rematch looms, it appears there’s no animosity between [autotag]Ilia Topuria[/autotag] and [autotag]Alexander Volkanovski[/autotag].

UFC featherweight champion Topuria (16-0 MMA, 8-0 UFC) and former titleholder Volkanovski (26-4 MMA, 13-3 UFC) are both in Sydney for Saturday’s UFC 312 event. Coincidentally, they will be cornering against each other, with Topuria’s brother Aleksandre set to make his octagon debut against Volkanovski’s teammate Colby Thicknesse in a bantamweight bout on the prelims (ESPN+ pay-per-view, ESPN2, ESPN+).

The pair, who are rumored for a potential second encounter this year after Topuria took the belt off Volkanovski by second-round knockout at UFC 298 in February 2024, were plenty cordial when they crossed paths backstage at Friday’s ceremonial weigh-ins.

Topuria and Volkanovski greeted each other and shared words, then took a photo with Charles Oliveira and UFC Hall of Famer Urijah Faber (via Instagram):

https://www.instagram.com/p/DFw6rBwqzJf

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For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC 312.