UFC featherweight champion Ilia Topuria has his eyes set on bigger challenges. Topuria has one featherweight title defense on his resume but is considering moving up to lightweight.
Topuria, 27, mulled over earning a UFC lightweight title shot. Topuria suggested fighting Charles Oliveira in a title eliminator to challenge the winner of lightweight champion Islam Makhachev vs. Arman Tsarukyan, a fight headlining UFC 311 on Jan. 18.
“I don’t have an idea because I still have to have a couple of conversations, to talk about it and see how they see my future,” Topuria told Spanish program “El Partidazo de COPE,” according to MMA Fighting‘s translation. “But more or less, I have it quite clear how I want it to be and an idea that I want.
“I would like to go up to the next division and since Islam, the champion in that division, is going to fight in January and he’s not going to stay — That is, he’s not going to be ready for April, May, I would like to fight with the No. 1 contender that division has right now. That’s Charles Oliveira.”
Topuria has one career fight at lightweight. He stepped in on short notice against striker Jai Herbert at the March 2022 UFC Fight Night in London. Topuria was nearly knocked out by a vicious head kick, but endured and finished Herbert. The featherweight champion has fought as low as bantamweight but admits the featherweight cut is challenging.
“I already have a UFC fight at lightweight, it was the one in London,” Topuria said. “The truth is that I felt super comfortable with the process because the weight cuts don’t affect you, it gives you the opportunity to stay a little more active. Because if you eliminate that part, then it’s going to be a pretty fun trip.
“Maybe it’s time for a change. Now it’s time to enjoy, enjoy a little more of what I do. Not care so much about the weight cut… You evolve, you grow, your body develops more and it costs more and more to cut weight.”
Topuria improved his professional mixed martial arts record to 16-0 by handing Max Hollway his first KO loss. Topuria previously knocked out Alexander Volkanovski in February to become UFC featherweight champion.
More UFC news, rumors
- Don’t let the gold around his waist fool you, Merab Dvalishvili will fight anyone. The UFC bantamweight champion was held back by security over a dispute with a fan at UFC 310. It’s not Dvalishvili’s first altercation with fans. The bantamweight champion previously told CBS Sports he wouldn’t ignore disrespect after confronting a heckler at August’s Craig Jones Invitational. If UFC 310 is any indication, he maintains that stance.
“I was walking back with Aljamain Sterling, and some guy grabbed my shoulder. Then, he had a phone, and he was filming the video,” Dvalishvili told combat sports journalist Ariel Helwani on Tuesday. “He was disrespecting me [in the] Russian language. My Russian is not good. I don’t really speak Russian. But I know the bad words. He was cursing at me, cursing my family.
“Security was there. I really wanted to punch his face, but security also realized that he was cursing at me, security could tell this guy was talking trash, and security held me. It was so hard. I’m a man. I’m a fighter. I live in a respectful way, and some stupid dumbass disrespects me, of course, I will fight. So I wasn’t able to go close to the guy because of security, but my friend got my back, and he slapped this motherf—er.”
- Dvalishvili isn’t the only mixed martial artist getting into trouble outside the cage. According to court documents obtained by TMZ, Nate Diaz faces a misdemeanor battery charge stemming from an incident occurring in Las Vegas on Aug. 25. Diaz is accused of shoving and striking a bouncer’s face with an “open right hand” outside of Caesar Palace’s Omnia nightclub. Other security members allegedly separated the two parties and Diaz left before police arrived. An arrest warrant was issued for Diaz on Oct. 21.
