UFC featherweight champion and one of MMA’s biggest breakout stars, Ilia Topuria, told El Partidazo de COPE that he has likely had his last fight at 145 pounds and that he plans to move up to lightweight for his next fight.
Topuria would like to fight No. 1 contender Charles Oliveira in April or May to set up a fight with the winner of Islam Makhachev and Arman Tsarukyan later in 2025.
Here is a look at the clip, which is in Spanish, with the English just below.
This decision is poised to send shockwaves through the UFC’s featherweight and lightweight divisions. Topuria appears to be moving toward vacating the featherweight title, which could set up a clash between Alexander Volkanovski and Diego Lopes for the vacant championship.
In the lightweight division, all paths to the title still lead through Islam Makhachev. However, Topuria is likely to leapfrog several contenders, positioning himself for a title shot sooner rather than later.
After losing to Topuria via knockout at UFC 308 in October, Max Holloway announced he was permanently moving up to lightweight. Now, Topuria is apparently following him to the 155-pound division.
Given the outcome of their first encounter, this development casts doubt on Holloway’s potential to secure a title at lightweight. The same skepticism applies to long-time contenders and former champions like Charles Oliveira, Justin Gaethje, and Dustin Poirier.
It will be interesting to hear UFC President Dana White’s thoughts on Topuria’s decision and to see how the promotion navigates the future of these two weight classes.
Other UFC News: Bryan Battle Addresses Weight Miss at UFC 310
Bryan Battle missed weight by four pounds ahead of his fight with Randy Brown at UFC 310. Despite the setback, Battle won a split decision but faced boos from fans at T-Mobile Arena following the bout.
Appearing on The Ariel Helwani Show on Monday, Battle discussed the weight cut and what went wrong.
“So, yeah, no, it was a s##### weight cut,” Battle admitted. “I’m not gonna lie to you.”
Helwani inquired when Battle realized he wouldn’t make weight, noting the importance of timely communication with opponents to potentially spare them the effort of cutting weight unnecessarily.
Battle responded, “It was… yeah, because I saw him make a post. It was the morning of the weigh-ins. I messaged my agent that morning—that’s when I stopped sweating. Normally, as long as I get a sweat going, I’ll just sit in the sauna or the hot tub or whatever and let the sweat flow until I get there. But if I sit in a sauna or hot bath for 45 minutes to an hour and I’m not sweating—and knowing how I usually sweat—that’s when I start to have concerns. So, you know, when I was in the hot bath for 45 minutes, I told Shemiga, ‘Yo, hit them up.’ And I’ll be honest, at that point, I thought I had messed up everything. I didn’t think the fight was going to happen. I was like, ‘I really blew this one.’”
Here is a look at the clip.
Bandy rown could have chosen not to proceed with the fight, but he did and nearly secured the victory. Bryan Battle admitted that, had the roles been reversed, he wouldn’t have accepted the bout.
As compensation, Brown will receive 30% of Battle’s purse. However, at this stage in Brown’s career, that likely offers little consolation.
