MEXICO CITY – Ignacio Bahamondes just put his name in the hat for a potential fight against former UFC featherweight champion Ilia Topuria. Bahamondes (17-5 MMA, 6-2 UFC), a young, rising lightweight contender, doesn’t think Topuria (15-0 MMA, 8-0 UFC) should get the next shot at UFC lightweight champion Islam Makhachev for his first fight
Henry Cejudo believes UFC Hall of Famer Khabib Nurmagomedov could get in the way of Islam Makhachev defending his lightweight title against Ilia Topuria. In a chat with Cejudo this past December, Nurmagomedov said he’d be against Topuria (16-0 MMA, 8-0 UFC) getting an immediate shot at Makhachev (26-1 MMA, 15-1 UFC) and his belt.
Ilia Topuria appears to have real trust in his relationship with the UFC brass, and because of that, has the utmost confidence his next fight will be for the lightweight championship. Topuria (15-0 MMA, 8-0 UFC) will officially vacate the featherweight title in less than two weeks when he Alexander Volkanovski and Diego Lopes battle
Daniel Cormier is firing back at the notion that elite lightweight are afraid of Ilia Topuria. Topuria (16-0 MMA, 8-0 UFC), who is vacating the UFC featherweight title to move up to the lightweight division, recently said he’s targeting a title shot vs. Islam Makhachev (27-1 MMA, 16-1 UFC) or a No. 1 contender bout
Charles Oliveira and Ilia Topuria continue to chirp at each other in attempt to stake their claim at a lightweight title shot. Topuria vacated his UFC featherweight title for a move up to lightweight, and wants an immediate shot at champion Islam Makhachev. Oliveira (35-10 MMA, 23-10 UFC), who’s coming off a five-round decision win
Share this article share tweet text email link on Facebook on Twitter via text message on LinkedIn via email https://mmajunkie.usatoday.com/lists/ufc-317-main-event-options-analyst-michael-chiesa March 27, 2025 12:10 pm ET The countdown to the 13th annual UFC International Fight Week is on. With roughly three months until the cornerstone event of the world’s biggest MMA promotion goes down, UFC
Michael Chandler isn’t buying that Ilia Topuria walks around that heavy. Topuria’s (16-0 MMA, 8-0 UFC) manager claimed that Topuria used to cut almost 50 pounds to make the 145-pound featherweight limit, which is what prompted him to vacate his title for a move up to lightweight. Chandler (23-9 MMA, 2-4 UFC) thinks the claim
It turns out Ilia Topuria is changing more than just his weight class. He’s also changing his nickname. Topuria (16-0 MMA, 8-0 UFC), who vacated the UFC featherweight championship for a move up to 155 pounds, will debut in the division with a new nickname, according to Mundo Deportivo. Topuria previously teased a new identity
Share this article share tweet text email link on Facebook on Twitter via text message on LinkedIn via email https://mmajunkie.usatoday.com/2025/03/ufc-london-leon-edwards-sean-brady-jon-jones-tom-aspinall-overreaction-time Simon Samano and Abbey Subhan March 25, 2025 10:30 am ET The time for overreacting is here! Check out the latest episode of “Overreaction Time” at noon ET/9 a.m. PT as host Simon Samano and
Kamaru Usman’s opinion on who Ilia Topuria should fight next may not be a popular one. Topuria (16-0 MMA, 8-0 UFC) vacated his featherweight title for a move up to 155 pounds. “El Matador” is eyeing UFC lightweight champion Islam Makhachev right off the bat, but Usman would like to see him tested against an
LONDON – A fight between Paddy Pimblett and Ilia Topuria might’ve seemed improbable just a few months ago, but things are much different now. In February, to the surprise of many, it was announced Topuria (16-0 MMA, 8-0 UFC) would be vacating the UFC featherweight title to make a full-time move to the lightweight division.
Alexander Volkanovski has no issues with Ilia Topuria getting an immediate UFC lightweight title shot. Topuria (16-0 MMA, 8-0 UFC) is vacating his featherweight championship after back-to-back knockouts of Volkanovski and Max Holloway. Volkanovski was awaiting his rematch with Topuria, but those plans were derailed after “El Matador” moved divisions. But because Topuria won’t be
