Ilia Topuria may corner Merab Dvalishvili for UFC 311 title fight

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.

RELATED: Merab Dvalishvili believes Ilia Topuria will defeat Max Holloway at UFC 308

Of course, it’s all about looking to the future these days in MMA. It’s a case of “what have you done for me lately”, and right now, Topuria hasn’t got a fight signed. With that being said, there is no shortage of featherweights who are chomping at the bit to try and get a shot at his belt.

As it turns out, we could see Topuria earlier than expected – in the corner of Merab Dvalishvili when he battles Umar Nurmagomedov at UFC 311.

👀🤝Merab Dvalishvili plans to ask Ilia Topuria to corner him for his fight against Umar Nurmagomedov at #UFC311

🎥 @ufcontnt ▫️ pic.twitter.com/T9KATUQ1oY

— Home of Fight (@Home_of_Fight) January 9, 2025

Topuria to corner Dvalishvili?

“Yeah, I’m gonna ask Ilia. If he wants this, we will see. But yeah, listen, just, yeah, I’m here in Vegas. Live here, train here, Syndicate MMA and John Wood is coaching me. Ray Longo will fly out from New York and Aljamain Sterling, my best friend and training partner will be with me. I’m gonna ask Ilia if he has the time and go from there.”

It was a slightly jokey conversation, but if he’s even remotely serious, that would be one hell of a corner for Dvalishvili.

Do you believe we will see Ilia Topuria in Merab Dvalishvili’s corner at UFC 311? In terms of the fight itself, how likely do you believe it is that he’ll get the win and retain the belt? Let us know, BJPENN Nation!