“Now it’s time to enjoy, enjoy a little more of what I do. Not care so much about the weight cut.” Ilia Topuria has already made up his mind to move to the lightweight realm. After all, the Spaniard’s walkaround weight lies around 167 lbs, making him the perfect fighter to compete in the lightweight division without going through a drastic weight cut. But the weight cut wasn’t the sole reason why ‘El Matador’ wanted to move to the 155-pound division.

In an interview with El Partidazo de Cope, the featherweight champion revealed that he was no longer motivated to defend his title. So what does he have in mind? Well, the lightweight champion, Islam Makhachev is all set to take on a fight against Arman Tsarukyan at UFC 311. This would keep the Dagestani out of action for a few more months after that. But Topuria wanted to fight earlier than that, and going up against Charles Oliveira seemed like the next best option. No doubt, Dana White has been alerted. 

But that might be a bad decision for the Spanish fighter. When it comes to the lightweight division, Topuria has already called out several fighters. But not all of them are good matchups for the champ. As the 27-year-old plans his next move, let’s analyze the top 3 fights that the undefeated fighter should absolutely avoid. 

1. Conor McGregor

Every fighter wants to fight Conor McGregor, not just because of his polarizing personality, but because of the attention he attracts with everything he does. Even though he didn’t make it to the fight at UFC 303, McGregor was the reason the arena was sold out with a record number despite the exorbitant ticket prices. The duo even called each other out several times. When ‘The Notorious’ brought BKFC to Marbella, Spain, he dissed Topuria regarding his nationality and Spanish citizenship. Needless to say, ‘El Matador’ was enraged. Nevertheless, the Irishman kept his social media game on and provoked to call him out. 

This is not a fight Topuria should avoid because it’s ‘scary,’ but because it might not do much for his overall prospects. McGregor is already 36 years old. He is seemingly past his prime. And fighting him might just not bring Topuria the kind of fights he wanted in his legacy. The Spaniard is a top-notch striker and has proven this in numerous fights. On top of that, his Greco-Roman wrestling is considered one of the boldest in the division. However, ‘Mystic Mac’ is a southpaw counter-striker, who loves to find openings in his opponent’s game. With his precision blows and knockout power, especially with his left hook, McGregor can easily turn the game around.

It would indeed be an interesting match to watch, but given the Dubliner’s inactivity for more than 3 years, it’s not a matchup that Topuria should dwell on. The fight (and a win) would earn him a lot of money but it’s hard to see Topuria going anywhere near the lightweight rankings beating an unranked McGregor. And the UFC head honcho wouldn’t necessarily make this fight.

Well, there was a time when ‘El Matador’ did wish to fight McGregor. Big guns from the MMA realm even pointed out that Topuria was apparently trying to copy McGregor with his fighting style, and even the chest tattoo. Even if they might be true, the Spaniard has seemingly moved on from the fight. On his appearance on El Chiringuito TV, he said, “It interested me, but it doesn’t anymore. He’s going through very serious personal problems. I have no desire to share the Octagon with someone like that.” And now he has put his eyes on Charles Oliveira.

1. Charles Oliveira

Weighing in on UFC 311, Topuria said, “Since Islam is going to fight in January and he is not going to be ready for April/May, I would like to fight the #1 contender which is Charles Oliveira.” While it would be a matchup that puts 2 grapplers together, the fighters have completely different styles. ‘El Matador’ has quite a bit of entropy entering the Octagon. But Oliveira conserves his energy and mauls his opponents with his impeccable grappling. The Brazilian is also prompt in Muay Thai, which often conditions the fighters and makes their chins and shins stronger. In simpler terms, it might render Topuria’s knockout power useless.

‘Do Bronx’ stands 5’10” tall with a reach of 74 inches. This puts a 5’7” tall Topuria, who has an extended reach of 69 inches, at a significant disadvantage. Plus, the Brazilian walks around at 185-190 lbs and could simply be too big for Topuria. He has already proven his durability against lightweight heavy hitters like Justin Gaethje and Dustin Poirier and only fell to grappling-heavy stars like Islam Makhachev and Arman Tsarukyan.

‘Do Bronx’ himself provided a warning for the featherweight champ. During the UFC 309 fight week, Oliveira told the media, “Ilia is a tough fighter – someone who talks the talk and walks the walk. He’s doing things. I can see why he would want to challenge people. He would be, obviously, a tough fight… 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.”

But before it came to Oliveira, Topuria wanted to try his luck against Islam Makhachev. After all, it’s the lightweight championship belt that he has been running after. 

1. Islam Makhachev

Not too long ago, Topuria called Makhachev out for a megafight in 2025, following a bit of an internet spat. Just like Topuria, the lightweight champ also desires to move up in the weight class and fight in the welterweight division. The Dagestani champ doesn’t want to fight Topuria. At the UFC 311 press conference, he said, “No, man. I’m tired of giving chance to small guys. I need my second belt. It’s nothing exciting. He’s a good fighter. He’s a good skills fighter, but I don’t want to give him a chance. I need second belt. That fight for what? For me, is nothing. It’s just his name, and I don’t need his name. I need the belt.”

Makhachev is one of the strongest wrestlers the UFC has ever seen. Combined with his almost above-average striking prowess, the Dagestani’s style makes him a pretty versatile fighter. On top of that, he stands 5’10” tall with a reach of 179 inches. Topuria would indeed have to close the distance if he wanted to land his strikes, but that would simply put Makhachev at an advantage and he would take the fight to the ground. With Khabib Nurmagomedov by his side, it’d be nigh on impossible for Topuria to defeat Makhachev.

But that doesn’t mean there aren’t interesting matchups for ‘El Matador’ in the lightweight realm. Right after he got to know about Topuria’s move to the higher weight class, Paddy Pimblett jumped in to put forth a challenge. 

So who should Ilia Topuria fight instead?

Pimblett has been itching to prove himself ever since he entered the top 15 list. When Topuria announced his move, the Britisher took to Instagram and quoted,  “New blood at 155?” Pimblett’s aggressive fighting style might just be a perfect match for Topuria. Both fighters have a knack for submissions, and with the move to the lightweight division, this matchup can help White determine Topuria’s next opponent. 

Another matchup that the entire fighting community wished for was Topuria vs. Dustin Poirier. One fan took to X and shared, “Hear me out… if Ilia wants to move up to LW, do Ilia Topuria vs Dustin Poirier.” Well, it seems like the ‘Diamond’ wanted the fight as well. He soon reshared the post and left the fight fans in a frenzy. Poirier’s shifting punches and shoulder rolls would indeed give Topuria a hard time. But he could definitely dominate the ground game. 

However, the featherweight champion didn’t put the 145-pound division permanently behind him. He claimed that he might just return and cut his weight if a worthy opponent rose from the lot. Till then, he would strive to secure the lightweight championship title. But at the end of the day, all we can do is wait for White to make his decision. Who do you think is the best matchup for Ilia Topuria? Let us know in the comments down below.