A new UFC Featherweight Champion will be crowned in Miami.
In a whirlwind of news on Wednesday night, Dana White announced that Ilia Topuria has vacated the UFC Featherweight title. The UFC CEO quickly confirmed that former champion Alexander Volkanovski and Diego Lopes will clash for the title at UFC 314 on April 12th.
As for Ilia, the reasoning behind him vacating the belt has nothing to do with injury or anything of that nature. Apparently, Ilia feels that he’s done everything that there is to do in the 145-pound division. So the 28-year-old has decided to move up a weight class and White will announce Ilia’s first lightweight bout soon.
“Topuria has felt like he’s done all he can in that division, and he feels like he’s cemented his legacy, and his body cannot make the weight anymore,” White said on Instagram Live Wednesday evening. “So Topuria will be moving up to 155 pounds and will be vacating the featherweight title. … As soon as the first punch is thrown in (Volkanovski vs. Lopes), the title is vacated.
“We will announce what Topuria’s next fight will be when we get it done.”
Ilia beat Volkanovski for the belt at UFC 298 and successfully defended his title against Max Holloway at UFC 308. The former UFC Featherweight Champion teased moving up last month when he called out current UFC Lightweight Champion Islam Makhachev following his win over Renato Moicano at UFC 311.
“Islam, if I want to, I can finish you. If I want to, I can knock you out,” Topuria said on social media after the lightweight titleholder’s win at UFC 311 against Renato Moicano. “I’ll make it look easy. See you soon [winks].”
Ilia is currently undefeated, so despite him only defending his title once, he likely feels that being in the lightweight division has more competition for him. This is pure speculation on my end. But given how fast the former champion decided to vacate his belt instead of going the two belt route like Conor McGregor, Topuria likely didn’t think it was worth putting his body through hell for two different divisions. It should be interesting to see if Dana gives him the Lightweight title shot instantly.
It’s clear that Ilia feels he can really beat Islam, and that is a big money match that fans want to see.
“I really believe that I can beat the current champion, Islam,” Topuria said on the “Full Send Podcast.” “I really think that. He’s a great champion. You can’t be a world champion by chance; you have to do things great. He’s a beast. I don’t like to be a bully and fight with people that I know 100 percent that I’m going to whoop his ass, you know?
“I like to fight with people that the fans think that it’s going to be very competitive. That kind of expectation I like to create. With Islam, I’m going to have that. Doing again the rematch with people that I already fought, I don’t think that I’m going to have the same kind of expectations, you know, for the fans.”