At UFC 314, Alexander Volkanovski and Diego Lopes will fight for the vacant 145-pound featherweight title. The event, set for April 12 at the Kaseya Center in Miami, will be a huge shake-up as reigning champion Ilia Topuria officially moves up to lightweight. Back in December 2024, Topuria created quite an uproar when he hinted at vacating his featherweight belt for the move. All signs pointed to Topuria next defending his belt in a rematch with Volkanovski in 2025, perhaps in Spain, but it appears “El Matador” had a different idea in mind.

“There were talks of Miami, but I’m not sure because there are still some pending conversations,” Topuria told Spanish radio outlet El Partidazo de COPE last year. “We need to talk about it and take a look at my future, but for me, it’s very clear how I want to do it. I’d like to move up to the next weight class.” Days after this, Topuria’s coach Jorge Climent confirmed the news and also explained the reason for it. Climent had put the blame on the exhaustion of weight cuts.

“In the beginning, Ilia fighting 61 kilos (bantamweight) and he’s young. And your body is changing. When you’re 20, you have a body. When you’re 25, you have another. And when you are 30, you have another. Always your muscular production (grows) and your weight is difficult to cut. We decided because he wants to feel better. Sometimes I see Ilia in 85 kilos, and he needs to be 66. We do a very big weight cut.” Climent had told Submission Radio. On Wednesday, UFC CEO Dana White confirmed the news that will surely excite many, expect Islam Makhachev.

White noted that Topuria has done everything he can in the featherweight category and would no longer fight at 145 pounds. He said, “Topuria has felt like he’s done all he can in that division, and he feels like he’s cemented his legacy, and his body cannot make the weight anymore. So Topuria will be moving up to 155 pounds and will be vacating the featherweight title.”

So what’s next for him? Who will he face? Well, the Spanish-Georgian’s switch to lightweight has already prompted widespread speculation. Ariel Helwani said that the UFC intends to match Topuria against Islam Makhachev for the lightweight title later this year, maybe as early as International Fight Week in June. This potential matchup would pit the No. 3 pound-for-pound fighter against the No. 1 ranked Makhachev, resulting in one of the year’s biggest fights. Interestingly, Topuria himself did not name Islam as his potential opponent when he made the announcement of his shift.

“since Islam (Makhachev) is the champion fighting in January (against Arman Tsarukyan at UFC 311), 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,” Topuria had said. Whether Oliveira is interested in the matchup with Topuria remains to be seen. “Do Bronx” is coming off a unanimous decision win over Michael Chandler at UFC 309 in November 2024. Prior to his fight at UFC 309, Oliveira was asked about the possibility of Topuria moving up in weight, and cautioned him about doing so.

“Ilia is a tough fighter – someone who talks the talk and walks the walk,” Oliveira said through an interpreter at UFC 309 media day. “He’s doing things. I can see why he would want to challenge people. He would be, obviously, a tough fight. I think that what happens is a lot of fighters, whenever they get the belt, they have that belt wrapped around their waist, they start thinking up and down in the divisions. But I think you have to be very careful when you’re coming up to lightweight because this is tough. This is a very tough division. But at any rate, I think that he’s a very tough and very dangerous guy.”

While Ilia Topuria leaves the featherweight division, the focus switches to Volkanovski vs. Lopes. Volkanovski is trying to reclaim his title after losing to Makhachev and Topuria in consecutive knockouts. Meanwhile, Lopes has been on a roll, winning five straight fights since his UFC debut setback. With a new champion secured at UFC 314, the featherweight division is all set for a new chapter. But what if we tell you that ‘El Matador’ may have to face a different opponent before he gets to the Dagestani phenom?

Ilia Topuria might get a new challenger at Lightweight

One of the biggest standouts in the UFC in 2024, along with Alex Pereira, Ilia Topuria continues to rise and has big goals for his career. By vacating his title, ‘El Matador’ has already made clear his intention to get a new title now. However, it is possible that before getting a shot against Islam Makhachev, he will have to face a new opponent. So, who can it be? Well, one possible name that stands out is Paddy Pimblett.

In a recent interview with the ‘eldoberdanMMA’ channel on Youtube, the popular English athlete surprised everyone by questioning Topuria’s potential in lightweight due to his physical size and short stature. ‘The Baddy,’ as he is known, is 1.78 meters tall, compared to the 1.70 meters of the featherweight champion. He said, “Ilia’s a m—–t. People don’t understand how much bigger I am than Ilia. I’m so much bigger than him—people don’t realize. I’d love to do a stare-down with him, just so everyone can see how much bigger I actually am than him.”

However, he does acknowledge the potential of the Georgian knockout. Pimblett opened the door to an eventual duel between the two in the future, hinting that he could become the first opponent to end Ilia’s undefeated streak in professional MMA. “If he wants to come to lightweight, I’m here waiting. I’ll be there to welcome him. I don’t think anyone else in the division has got more of a claim to welcome him to the division than I have. I’d love to have a fair fight with him and kick him all over the gaff.” What do you think? Would you love to see the duo fight? Or will Dana White make him go one-on-one against Islam Makhachev? Let us know in the comments.