Ilia Topuria, after a successful featherweight career, is moving to lightweight to fight for a vacant title at UFC 317, having vacated his 145-pound belt due to challenging weight cuts and aiming for new achievements.
Ilia Topuria’s days in the featherweight division might be over.
“El Matador” had an epic run at 145 pounds, going undefeated and claiming UFC gold with a knockout against Alexander Volkanovski in February 2024. Then, just eight months later, he stunned the world by becoming the first fighter to finish Max Holloway with strikes.
Before turning 28, Topuria racked up an impressive list of featherweight achievements. Now, he’s gearing up for a new challenge: fighting for the vacant lightweight title at UFC 317 against Charles Oliveira. To make this happen, he had to vacate his 145-pound belt.
Cutting down to featherweight was tough, and Topuria has no regrets about moving up.
“When you’re cutting weight and can’t eat or drink, nothing else matters,” he told ESPN Deportes. “Give me a glass of water, and I’d trade anything for it. It’s like sitting naked in the street—terrible. I didn’t want to suffer anymore.”
He’d already achieved his dream of being a world champion. It was time to close that chapter and live more comfortably—like moving from the desert to the beach.
But it’s not just about avoiding the weight cut. Topuria had his eyes set on the lightweight title, which was held by Islam Makhachev, the top Pound-for-Pound fighter.
He wanted to beat Makhachev because, like Volkanovski, he was the best in the division. “If you beat someone, it had to be the greatest,” Topuria said.
However, Makhachev’s team didn’t consider Topuria a worthy challenger, suggesting he needed a lightweight win first. They also hinted Makhachev wouldn’t vacate his title before fighting the new welterweight champ, Jack Della Maddalena.
Yet, Makhachev did vacate the title, and now Topuria is one win away from lightweight gold. He believes this opportunity was destined for him, no matter what anyone said.
“They acted like they invented the sport,” Topuria remarked. “But look what happened. He moved up, vacated the title, and I’m fighting for the belt.”