Tag: Ilia Topuria

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.

Michael Bisping won’t rule out Ilia Topuria’s chances vs. Islam Makhachev: ‘He’s knocking out everybody’

Michael Bisping likes Ilia Topuria’s chances against fellow UFC champion Islam Makhachev. 

[autotag]Michael Bisping[/autotag] likes [autotag]Ilia Topuria[/autotag]’s chances against fellow UFC champion [autotag]Islam Makhachev[/autotag].

UFC featherweight champion Topuria (16-0 MMA, 8-0 UFC) wants to move up to challenge lightweight champion Makhachev (27-1 MMA, 16-1 UFC), who’s currently the promotion’s No. 1 pound-for-pound fighter.

Both fighters have recently produced dominant results over their division, and Bisping would love to see the fight happen. While he rates Makhachev highly, Bisping thinks Topuria’s well-rounded skillset could make it an interesting fight – despite the size discrepancy.

“That’s an incredible fight,” Bisping told Submission Radio. “Ilia Topuria, what he’s been able to do, what he’s achieved in such a short space – so impressed. The same with Islam. Islam is incredible. Nobody can sit here and criticize Islam. The fight style that he has, the way that he’s able to use his wrestling to such effectiveness. The striking is always improving and catching up.

“But on the flip side, Ilia is a smaller guy, though. So you take two guys with great skill sets, the bigger guy is always going to win. But if anyone could make that happen, it’s Ilia Topuria. The man said what he’s going to do right from the beginning, changed his bio to champion of the world. He’s knocked out (Alexander) Volkanovski. He’s knocked out Max Holloway. He’s knocking out everybody, and apparently he’s even better at wrestling than he is at boxing.”

Topuria is coming off back-to-back knockouts of Volkanovski and Max. Meanwhile, Makhachev quickly submitted Renato Moicano to notch a division-record fourth lightweight title defense at UFC 311 last month.

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How UFC 312’s Aleksandre Topuria put his career on hold to help brother Ilia

Aleksandre Topuria wanted to focus on helping his brother, Ilia Topuria, become UFC champion before pursuing his own career.

[autotag]Aleksandre Topuria[/autotag] wanted to focus on helping his brother, [autotag]Ilia Topuria[/autotag], become champion before pursuing his own UFC career.

Aleksandre, UFC featherweight champion Ilia’s older brother, hasn’t competed since a first-round TKO win in May 2023. He was gearing up for his next fight on the Spanish regional scene, but put his career to the side when Ilia was granted a UFC title shot.

Ilia went on to knock out Alexander Volkanovski at UFC 298 in February 2024 to become champion, then decided to return the favor to his older brother. Aleksandre was planning on notching at least one more win before getting the UFC call, but his opportunity arrived earlier than expected.

“I had a fight after my (last) fight, like after four or five months I was supposed to fight, but Ilia got the UFC call to fight with Volkanovski so, I had to put everything on the side,” Topuria told Kevin Iole. “Focus on him, I did, we got the job done thank God. My plans were a little different. Make some fights outside of the UFC.

“I actually spoke with Sean Shelby and I told him I’ll do another fight outside the UFC and after that, for sure. If I do a good fight, and make the weight, and everything is going clear, he sends me the contract. But yes, after Ilia became UFC champion, he pushed to send me a UFC contract. I didn’t even talk to him. He just felt himself like I have to do it because I would do the same.”

Aleksandre (5-1 MMA, 0-0 UFC) makes his octagon debut on Saturday’s UFC 312 prelims when he takes on Volkanovski’s teammate, Colby Thicknesse (7-0 MMA, 0-0 UFC) in a bantamweight bout at Qudos Bank Arena in Sydney (ESPN+ pay-per-view, ESPN2, ESPN+).

Ilia rose to superstardom at a fast rate, but can Aleksandre do the same?

“I’m 29 years old so, I have a lot of time,” Topuria said. “I’m not focused on how far I’ll do it. Right now I’m here. I’m enjoying everything, and I’m climbing the mountain, and I don’t know how much it’s going to take, but I’ll keep going.”

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

UFC champ Ilia Topuria details why Movsar Evloev isn’t a worthy title challenger

Ilia Topuria is not impressed by what he’s seen from undefeated Movsar Evloev in the UFC.

UFC featherweight champion [autotag]Ilia Topuria[/autotag] insists [autotag]Movsar Evloev[/autotag] is not a worthy title challenger.

Evloev (19-0 MMA, 9-0 UFC) remained unbeaten when he outgrappled former champ Aljamain Sterling at UFC 310. While Evloev has certainly amassed a resume that warrants a title shot, Topuria (16-0 MMA, 8-0 UFC) thinks his lack of ability to finish fights harms him.

Topuria sees red-hot Diego Lopes (26-6 MMA, 5-1 UFC) making more noise than Evloev.

“I think Diego deserves it more because Movsar has more fights in the UFC, but he has eight (nine) decisions, five (one) by split decision. Like, man, you need to finish someone,” Topuria told Fox Sports Australia. “Do something, do something relevant, put yourself in that spot, and why not? We can do it. But if you don’t finish anyone – I fight for the fans.

“I fight to entertain the fans, and I need someone inside the cage to be entertaining. I don’t need someone who’s only looking for a win and grab you and this and that, which he won’t be able to do that with me. I would knock him out in the first round, but I need someone to hype up the fight. I need a good dance partner.”

Topuria wants to move up to lightweight and challenge Islam Makhachev next. But if he remains at featherweight for his next fight, he plans on defending his belt in a rematch against Alexander Volkanovski, who he knocked out at UFC 298 to become champion.

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Alexander Volkanovski not surprised with UFC champ Ilia Topuria’s ‘cocky’ rematch prediction

Alexander Volkanovski wants nothing more than to run things back with Ilia Topuria.

[autotag]Alexander Volkanovski[/autotag] wants nothing more than to run things back with [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 last February. Topuria has since knocked out Max Holloway to retain his belt at UFC 308 and welcomed a rematch with Volkanovski.

Topuria (16-0 MMA, 8-0 UFC) likes Volkanovski but warned that he will suffer the same fate if they rematch.

“Of course, he’s going to be cocky,” Volkanovski told Fox Sports Australia of Topuria’s prediction. “He knocked me out. He thinks he’ll do it again, and he has every right to think that. But I’m going out there to change that, get that belt back. So while he has every right to think like that, he won’t know until I show him.”

Topuria admitted the first choice for his next fight would be moving up to challenge UFC lightweight champion Islam Makhachev. Both fighters suggested they don’t know what’s next.

“Look, nothing is locked in for us, but you’re hearing that from him, so it’s what it is,” Volkanovski said. “I think the UFC are still trying to see what is going on, trying to figure that situation out. You’re also hearing the name Diego Lopes get thrown up for me. So, if Topuria is going up for Islam, I’ll probably be facing Lopes. But again, nothing is locked in.”

Topuria moving up to lightweight would mean an interim featherweight title could be in play. Volkanovski just hopes he gets his opportunity to fight Topuria again at some point.

“Of course, I want that rematch,” Volkanovski said. “But if he wants to move up, and the UFC are interested, I’ll go and win the belt back and then we can both fight as champions. Or maybe he vacates, I become champion and then we do it again later. It just makes the fight even bigger.”

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