Ilia Topuria Set to Ruin Dustin Poirier’s Retirement After UFC Lightweight Move

UFC head honcho Dana White, in his signature no-nonsense style, sent shockwaves through the MMA world during his latest Instagram Live session, announcing a seismic shake-up in the promotion’s most electrifying division. Ilia Topuria, fresh off slaying elite featherweights for fun has now decided to taste another piece of gold up a weight class. “Topuria felt like he’s done all that he can in that division and he feels like he cemented his legacy and his body cannot make the weight anymore. So Topuria will be moving up to 155lbs and will be vacating the featherweight title.” White stated.

This shift leaves the 145-pound landscape wide open, with a new era set to unfold in Topuria’s absence. Meanwhile, the 155lbs division just got even scarier as one of the sport’s most ferocious rising stars prepares to enter the mix. But can this prove to be fatal for a veteran who’s looking to put on one last dance of violence? We are talking about Dustin Poirier who is set for his swansong this summer after an illustrious reign at the top. Ironically, ‘The Diamond’ also happens to be on the radar of the former 145lbs juggernaut!

Poirier’s elite legacy is the reason that ‘El Matador’ expressed his desire to step into the Octagon with ‘The Diamond’. During a recent appearance on the Full Send Podcast, Topuria made his admiration for Poirier clear while teasing the possibility of a future clash. “At this point, just imagine a fight between me and—man, I love that dog, Dustin Poirier,” Topuria said. “He’s a fu—-g warrior. He goes in there and fights until he dies. You know he’s coming forward, trying to take your head off. That’s the kind of fight that excites me, and I think it would excite the fans too.”

Meanwhile, Dustin Poirier recently mentioned wanting to take on a legend but could he turn out to be the one who welcomes the icon-slaying machine back to this division? For the uninitiated, Topuria has already fought at 155lbs against Jai Herbert in 2022 where he sealed one of his most iconic highlight reel KOs. The encounter with Dustin may not be a done deal just yet but the former interim champ has repeatedly proven that championship gold isn’t the only measure of greatness. If this fight comes to fruition, it could be a passing of the torch—or yet another chance for Poirier to remind the world why he’s one of the best to ever step into the Octagon.

Weighing on the potential clash, Javier Mendez gave his views in an interview with Submission Radio. “Yeah, I definitely do [think Ilia can beat Poirier]. “I have said it on many occasions [that] I think he has the best boxing in the whole UFC in all the weight divisions. I believe his boxing is the crispest out of everybody, but he’s got great wrestling… His mental [side] is strong, he’s undefeated… I favor him. Slightly, but I favor him.”

The Louisiana native has repeatedly proven that championship gold isn’t the only measure of greatness. Even at 36 years old, ‘The Diamond’ gave the reigning champ Islam Makhachev his toughest challenge yet at UFC 302. This was made more evident with the ‘battle scar’ he left on the Dagestani’s forehead to remember his name for a lifetime.

Like Topuria, Poirier first made his name as a featherweight before moving up to 155 pounds, where he reached new heights. He claimed the interim lightweight title in a classic against Max Holloway at UFC 236 and battled for the undisputed belt three separate times. Though he never secured the undisputed strap, Poirier’s legendary resume all but guarantees him a place in the UFC Hall of Fame.

Despite their shared history as former 145fers, the two fighters represent different generations. If Topuria wants to test himself against Poirier, the window of opportunity is closing fast. On the other hand, Ilia Topuria has also expressed his interest in going straight for Makhachev’s 155lbs belt, which the latter has disagreed to entertain. However, there is a way for ‘El Matador’ to make that happen and the champion’s manager has laid the blueprint for it.

Ilia Topuria needs to ‘prove he’s legit’ before fighting Islam Makhachev

Islam Makhachev doesn’t just want to avoid another fight against a featherweight but also suggests that beating Ilia Topuria will not add anything to his legacy. His manager, Rizvan Magomedov, seems to agree with the Dagestan native. But how does the Georgian-Spaniard get his title shot? Well, Magomedov suggests the age-old way of proving himself in the division against any of the top lightweights, which also includes the aforementioned Dustin Poirier.

“Topuria vs Dustin/Charles contender fight, to prove he’s legit lightweight. So we don’t have to defeat another ‘small featherweight,'” Islam Makhachev’s manager wrote on X. “We need big fight that make sense for everyone. We already gave chances to featherweight champ that was reigning for long time.”

Magomedov was of course talking about Makhachev battling it out against former 145lbs champ Alexander Volkanovski on two separate occasions. Both of which were won by the Dagestani. And given how big of a star Ilia Topuria has become, it only makes sense for Dana White to pair him up against a top star on his lightweight debut.

Whether it’s Dustin Poirier or Charles Oliveira, who is also an opponent who’s piqued Topuria’s interest, we’ll have to wait for further developments on this front. Meanwhile, let us know your thoughts in the comments down below!