Ilia Topuria’s rise in the UFC has been monumental with a perfect 16-0 record full of top-tier names, along with him being the youngest in the current roster of UFC champions at 27. With highlight reel performances and finishes inside the Octagon, fans are clamoring to know who is next in line for the Spanish-Georgian fighter. Not just fans, but Topuria himself is eager to know the name of his next opponent. One fighter who threw his name into the mix is surging Brazilian featherweight Diego Lopes.

In a recent tweet, Topuria asked the question, “TOPURIA VS?”. This made the internet buzz with speculations, with an Instagram post by ESPN MMA pitting Topuria against Alexander Volkanovski, Islam Makhachev, and Diego Lopez. So while fans gave their opinions in the comments, Diego Lopes added his own by hinting at being next in line, through a series of emojis. He wrote, “😏🤓😎”.

It would be quite amazing to watch Diego Lopes and Topuria go toe-to-toe. After all, the Brazilian has serious knockout power and even has more finishes (10 KOs, 8 submissions) than the featherweight champion. In a recent interview, he revealed that he wasn’t afraid of facing the champ. “I’m telling you, I respect everyone, but I’m not afraid of anyone. If there’s anything I don’t have, it’s fear. I think I’ve shown that in all my fights. I’ve shown that I’m not afraid of anyone. As many times as he wants to point to the ground, I will plant my feet in the middle of the cage and throw down. It’s that easy.”

But while Diego Lopes wants to face Topuria, ‘El Matador’ wants to square off with Alexander Volkanovski instead. His recent performances place him in a position to maybe decide who wants next, and it seems like the featherweight champ wants to give Alexander Volkanovski a chance at revenge. “We’re going to do it again; you deserve it. He’s made seven defenses or I don’t know how many times. If anyone deserves it, it’s him. Let’s do it, brother.” Topuria said after his win against Holloway. To clarify, Alexander Volkanovski defended his title five times.

In all of this, what do fight fans want? Well, as per the fans, it’s neither Lopes nor Volkanovski who they want as the number one contender. Instead, it is none other than the 26-1-0 lightweight champion Islam Makhachev. Taking to the comments, fans made sure the UFC knew that it was the Dagestani who they wanted inside the cage against the UFC featherweight champion.

Fans root for a new challenge for Ilia Topuria inside the cage

A few months ago, Ilia Topuria took some jibes at various UFC fighters on the Ariel Helwani Show. But while many expected him to speak against other featherweights, ‘El Matador’ took aim at the lightweight Islam Makhachev instead. Topuria revealed to Helwani that he eventually wants to move up a weight class and fight the Dagestani phenom.

Fans are also rallying for the same as many comments poured in mentioning the lightweight champion. They wrote comments such as, “Islam is the only right answer”, “After he beat my glorious king, Max, he definitely deserves the Islam fight” and “Islam, he has a way better chance than people think.” It truly would be an interesting fight since the UFC will get yet another double champ and a possible Fight of the Year contender with the matchup. One fan raised the case for Makhachev’s big at realizing double gold – “Islam deserves a chance at double champ more than any other fighter, let alone Topuria, who has 1 title defence.” However, it’s important to note that Islam Makhachev wouldn’t win the featherweight title if Topuria moved up to fight him.

On the other hand, there was a contingent of fans who want a rematch between Ilia Topuria and Alexander Volkanovski. A revenge story is always sweet, and fans believe that there is still a lot to be settled between the two featherweights. Speaking on Volkanovski’s behalf, fans posted comments like, “Volk rematch. Volk was on a CRAZY win streak at FeatherWeight before he lost to [Topuria]”, “Volk to end unfinished business”, and “It’s Volk. It’s always been Volk. Delete these posts.”

For now, there is no official confirmation on who Ilia Topuria’s next opponent will be. But with so many possible contenders, it is no surprise that the featherweight division is one of the most exciting in the UFC. What do you think? Who will Ilia Topuria face next? Let us know in the comments.