After his victory over Alexander Volkanovski on February 17 and Max Holloway on October 26, Ilia Topuria will return to action in 2025. The Spaniard is currently taking much needed time to rest having fought two championship bouts in 2024, but his next move is already palpitating. Topuria ruled out entering fight camp anytime soon, so there is no clear timeline for his next bout. Ilia Topuria’s recent performances have placed him in a privileged position, so the Spaniard has some leeway in choosing his next opponent.

While many may think that it would perhaps be a rematch against Alexander Volkanovski, the featherweight champion has already claimed that he is in no mood to fight the former featherweight champion anywhere else except Spain. Also, there’s the talk about him moving weight classes. So who will his next opponent be? Well, without further ado, let’s find out.

Islam Makhachev vs. Ilia Topuria in 2025?

Islam Makhachev, UFC lightweight champion and right-hand man to the iconic Khabib Nurmagomedov, is on the top of the list when it comes to the possibility of facing Ilia Topuria. At the press conference for his next fight at UFC 311, where the Dagestani champ will defend his belt against Arman Tsarukyan, he stated that he is tired of giving opportunities to ‘little guys’ and now wants a second belt, preferably at welterweight. On the other hand, Topuria, too, has time and again shown his interest in going up against the Dagestani fighter to get a historic double championship.

The Spanish-Georgian fighter claims that the idea of finishing Islam Makhachev in the Octagon motivates him. Even in an interview with El Chiriguito, he said, “I’m closer to making a fight with (Islam) Makhachev; that’s what interests me the most. My ideal rival needs to have something that has me fighting for something. I need to conquer something. I need something to motivate me. Do a rematch (with Volkanovski) for what? I already beat him.”

Ilia Topuria has already confirmed several times that he wants to move up in weight and become a two-weight champion. However, Makhachev claims that he is not interested in the fight. According to the lightweight champion, he gains no incentive from defeating Topuria. Instead, people will call him a weight bully for defeating a featherweight. But his recent claim of getting a second title may change his opinion.

Dana White will allow Topuria to go for a double championship as long as he decimates the top fighters in his division first. So the head honcho wants the Spanish-Georgian to prove himself first. Even if he doesn’t fight for a title, there’s no stopping him from going up a weight class and challenging a high-level fighter. And, why not? He’s already fought at lightweight once before, against Jai Herbert at UFC Fight Night 204, who he secured an incredible KO against. One name that Ilia Topuria recently mentioned is Charles Oliveira.

Ilia Topuria wants to move to lightweight and face Charles Oliveira

During a recent interview with El Partidazo de COPE, Topuria revealed that he might go toe-to-toe with Charles Oliveira. “I’d like to move up to the next weight class, and since Islam [Makhachev] is the champion fighting in January, and he won’t be ready for April or May, I’d like to fight against the No. 1 contender right now, who’s Charles Oliveira… I’m 27; I hope to be out by 30.” Although this fight with Oliveira is not at all official, the interest of fighting ‘do Bronx’ for the Spanish-Georgian champion is real.

He has a new goal set: to be a double champion, so if he can’t fight Makhachev directly, he will have to prove his worth by beating the #1 contender. This is something that even former champion, UFC legend, and Makhachev’s coach and mentor, Khabib Nurmagomedov, has agreed with as he gave his opinion on the matter at the ‘Pound 4 Pound Show’. According to ‘The Eagle,’ if Topuria manages to defeat Charles Oliveira and earn the championship fight, then Islam Makhachev will have no qualms about facing him. His position is clear: Topuria will have to get in line with the rest of the challengers. In addition, the Russian also stated that he thinks Topuria can beat the Brazilian fighter from the favelas.

Seeing how Topuria must be suffering from mental fatigue as a result of fighting two former champions after grueling weight cuts at 145 lbs, all ‘El Matador’ wants at the moment is to fight a lightweight. Daniel Cormier revealed at the ‘Funky and the Champ’ show with Ben Askren that the Spanish-Georgian now seeks a new challenge, so it won’t be shocking to see if he stops cherry-picking his future fights as long as it is in a different division.

“When you beat the best guys, especially the two guys that ruled the division for so long, there can be a little bit of fatigue in there. It’s not like muscle fatigue; it’s mental fatigue. You have to be so up to do, what he did to Max Holloway, and to do what he did to Volkanovski.” Cormier said to Askren. But what if he decides not to jump ship to a different weight class? Who will he fight next in the featherweight division?

Who will Ilia Topuria face for his featherweight title defense?

While the main names surrounding the future of Ilia Topuria in the lightweight division are Islam Makhachev and Charles Oliveira, there are still a few names in the featherweight division that can give ‘El Matador’ a tough fight. One such name is Diego Lopes. The #3 ranked featherweight was the backup for the UFC 308 Topuria vs. Max Holloway fight and already believes he can be a tough challenge for ‘El Matador.’

In an interview with ESPN, he stated why he is a better opponent for the Spanish-Georgian at the moment. “[Ilia] likes to fight at close range. Although I have long arms, I do much better at close range… I think that we’re both going to clash several times, and if he comes forward, he’s going to crash into a wall. I like to exchange blows; he does too, and so definitely it would be a fight that people would be very excited to see.” Seeing that he is on a five-fight win streak, MMA Fighting’s 2023 Rookie of the Year is the perfect pick to go against Topuria at the moment.

In case the Mexico-based Brazilian isn’t available, the featherweight champion can also opt for #4 ranked Movsar Evloev to give him the challenge that he seeks. The Russian is still undefeated with an MMA record of 19 wins and 0 losses. Seeing that there’s no stopping him now, what better challenge than putting his ‘O’ on the line against an undefeated champ for a title? This will also allow Topuria to leave his featherweight division without the title on his back. He revealed in a recent interview that he has no interest in vacating his title, so if he gets dethroned, he can simply jog to the lightweight division without much hesitation from the UFC.

For now, the UFC has the final say on his future fights, and they have not commented yet. Despite the fact that Topuria’s future is destined for lightweight, one last fight at featherweight should not be ruled out. What do you think? Who will be the next opponent for the Spanish-Georgian? Let us know in the comments.