Ilia Topuria News

Harry Kettle - February 28, 2025

Henry Cejudo believes Ilia Topuria should receive a UFC lightweight title shot against Islam Makhachev in his first fight at 155 pounds. As we know, Ilia Topuria is set to make the move up to the lightweight division. In doing so, he will be vacating his featherweight championship.

Harry Kettle - February 26, 2025

MMA fans have given their thoughts on Islam Makhachev’s cryptic message regarding a possible Ilia Topuria fight. As we know, Islam Makhachev is the UFC lightweight champion – and he’s also one of the most feared men in all of mixed martial arts. In addition to that, he’s also starting to enter the conversation for best lightweights of all time, with some believing that he’s already made his way to the top of the list.

Cole Shelton - February 25, 2025

Paddy Pimblett doesn’t expect Ilia Topuria to have much success at lightweight. Pimblett and Topuria have taken shots at each other in the past, as both have shown interest in fighting one another. However, Topuria was at featherweight and wound up becoming the champ. But, after one title defense, he announced he would be vacating his belt and moving up to lightweight.

Fernando Quiles Jr. - February 24, 2025

Dustin Poirier believes Ilia Topuria should receive a crack at the UFC lightweight title right away. Topuria has made the decision to move on from the 145-pound weight class and in doing so, he’s vacated the featherweight gold. Alexander Volkanovski and Diego Lopes will be vying for the vacant title in the main event of UFC 314 on April 12. As for Topuria, UFC CEO Dana White has said it isn’t a guarantee that “El Matador” will get the next shot at Islam Makhachev’s UFC Lightweight Championship.

Harry Kettle - February 22, 2025

UFC commentator Daniel Cormier has given his thoughts on Ilia Topuria’s decision to make a move up to the lightweight division. As we know, Ilia Topuria is seemingly done with the featherweight division. He has made the decision to move up to 155 pounds on a full-time basis, and as a result of that, he will be vacating the strap. He’s suggested that it’s because he can no longer make the weight, but after comments from Diego Lopes, some believe it may be due to the promotion not wanting him to hold onto the championship while pursuing a new goal.

Josh Evanoff - February 21, 2025

Featherweight contender Diego Lopes has claimed the UFC is done with two-division champions. The Brazilian recently signed a deal to face Alexander Volkanovski in the main event of UFC 314 in April. While the bout itself has been rumored for a while, what wasn’t, is that the fight will be for the vacant featherweight title. Less than two years into his UFC journey, Diego Lopes has the possibility of becoming the 145-pound king.

Fernando Quiles Jr. - February 21, 2025

Islam Makhachev’s coach has praise for Ilia Topuria, but he’s still not keen on “El Matador” getting a UFC lightweight title shot. UFC CEO Dana White recently announced that Ilia Topuria has vacated the UFC Featherweight Championship. Fighting for the vacant gold will be Alexander Volkanovski and Diego Lopes in the main event of UFC 314. While Topuria vs. Makhachev has not been made official at this time, Ariel Helwani reports that this is being planned potentially as early as International Fight Week. Helwani later noted that Topuria wouldn’t have vacated the featherweight title for a number one contender fight.

Harry Kettle - February 21, 2025

UFC president Dana White has explained why Ilia Topuria decided to vacate the featherweight championship. As announced by Dana White, Ilia Topuria is leaving the featherweight division. In the wake of his incredible wins over Alexander Volkanovski and Max Holloway, he’s decided to make the jump up to lightweight. He’s already going to go down as one of the best ever at 145 pounds, and now, he has his sights firmly on acquiring a second world title at a brand new weight class.

Fernando Quiles Jr. - February 18, 2025

One UFC Hall of Famer says that Islam Makhachev has no fear of fighting Ilia Topuria. Makhachev is the reigning UFC lightweight champion, while Topuria holds the featherweight gold. Topuria has expressed interest in a champion vs. champion showdown, but Makhachev has let it be known that he prefers to go after “champ-champ” status. “El Matador” believes Makhachev is avoiding a fight against him.

Harry Kettle - February 17, 2025

UFC featherweight champion Ilia Topuria has given an interesting assessment of how Dagestani fighters perform in competitive fights. As we know, Ilia Topuria is one of the most exciting fighters on the planet right now. He’s been able to tear through the featherweight division, which has included knockout wins over Alexander Volkanovski and Max Holloway. However, it’s clear to see that he’s hungry for more – and that means a potential venture up to lightweight to take on Islam Makhachev.

Josh Evanoff - February 13, 2025

UFC featherweight champion Ilia Topuria hopes to announce his return next week. ‘El Matador’ hasn’t been seen in the octagon since his title defense against Max Holloway in October. Just a few months after knocking out Alexander Volkanovski to win UFC gold, Ilia Topuria met the red-hot ‘Blessed’. Holloway entered the bout after his knockout win over Justin Gaethje in April, hoping to win the featherweight title for the second time.

Fernando Quiles Jr. - February 13, 2025

Paddy Pimblett won’t shy away from a 155-pound scrap with Ilia Topuria. Pimblett and Topuria have had some beef dating back to 2021. The two had a run-in at a hotel lobby in London the during the week of a UFC Fight Night card the following year. Topuria’s issue with Pimblett stems from a social media post where “The Baddy” called Georgians “stupid” and added, “No wonder the Russians terrorize their lives.”

Fernando Quiles Jr. - February 11, 2025

Paddy Pimblett isn’t convinced that Ilia Topuria will fight Islam Makhachev this summer. Topuria has teased trying his hand at 155 pounds in a bid to become a double champion. “El Matador” is currently the reigning UFC featherweight champion and he’s been linked to a rematch with Alexander Volkanovski. The UFC has not made that bout official at this time.

Cole Shelton - February 10, 2025

UFC commentator Joe Rogan is hopeful that Ilia Topuria will move up to lightweight to face Islam Makhachev next time out. Topuria has been hinting at a potential fight with Makhachev for the lightweight title. It would be a massive fight, but some fans want to see him defend the featherweight title a couple more times.

Harry Kettle - February 5, 2025

Alexander Volkanovski has given his thoughts on Ilia Topuria wanting to fight Islam Makhachev next instead of him. As we know, Alexander Volkanovski is an absolutely massive fan favorite in the world of mixed martial arts. He had an incredible run as featherweight champion, and he also dared to be great by moving up to lightweight. Now, his former foe Ilia Topuria is attempting to do the same in order to try and become a two-weight world champion.

Fernando Quiles Jr. - February 5, 2025

UFC featherweight champion Ilia Topuria doesn’t believe Movsar Evloev is deserving of a title shot. Topuria has been observing the 145-pound division and his potential contenders. While the featherweight king would rather move up to lightweight, he’s letting the UFC brass decide what they want to do with him going forward. “El Matador” is rumored to be facing Alexander Volkanovski in a rematch, but Topuria insists he hasn’t signed anything.

Harry Kettle - January 10, 2025

UFC star Ilia Topuira could end up being in the corner of Merab Dvalishvili for his title fight at UFC 311 next weekend. Right now, Ilia Topuria is one of the biggest stars in all of mixed martial arts. He is the UFC featherweight champion, he’s built up a huge name for himself, and last year he knocked out both Alexander Volkanovski and Max Holloway. If that isn’t impressive, we truly don’t know what is.

Harry Kettle - January 7, 2025

UFC star Movsar Evloev has made it clear that he wants to hunt down Ilia Topuria – regardless of the weight class. Over the course of the last few years, Movsar Evloev has emerged as one of the primary contenders in the featherweight division. Following his win over Aljamain Sterling recently, the expectation is that he’ll receive a title shot sooner rather than later.