Two parallel storylines are running in the UFC currently, and are potentially set for a collision course if rumors turn out to be true. On one hand, we have Ilia Topuria—representing the UFC’s young blood—fresh off of relinquishing his featherweight title for a main quest at 155 lbs. On the other side, we have the veteran and now-UFC legend Dustin Poirier looking for his ‘Last Dance’ as looks to cap off an illustrious MMA career. Naturally, the question arises—who will win this fight? Will Topuria set a new precedent in the lightweight division, or will Poirier stay true to form and put a stop to the Spanish-Georgian’s momentum? Despite tearing through his competition, lightweight star Dan Hooker doesn’t think ‘El Matador’ can beat ‘The Diamond’.

American Kickboxing Academy’s Javier Mendez shared his take recently and appears to be one of the few people who ‘favors’ Ilia Topuria against Dustin Poirier. What’s the reason behind that? Well, it’s the Georgian-Spaniard’s boxing skills that have made it hard for Mendez to deny the danger ‘El Matador’ poses to ‘The Diamond’. However, Dan Hooker claims that Topuria’s stature, which is smaller compared to natural lightweights, could prove to be a big problem when he steps up to Poirier.

On the other hand, ‘The Hangman’ suggests that Ilia Topuria should be looking to go for the most lucrative fights in the lightweight division if he intends to make an impact in the new weight class. “I don’t think he’s a really big guy. He’s not a tall guy, he’s not a thick guy. I think he’ll struggle [against Poirier] unless he’s shooting for some of the bigger fights,” Dan Hooker told Submission Radio.

“Every time you fight, you’ve got to top whatever you did the last time. And how do you top his most recent performances? They’ve been as good as it gets really,” Dan Hooker added. “The only way he can top that is move up, win the lightweight title, move up [and] get the Conor McGregor fight, and move up and get these amazing big fights. That’s the only way he can possibly top what he’s already done.”, Hooker further added.

There’s no denying that Alexander Volkanovski and Max Holloway are two of the greatest featherweights to grace the Octagon. Ilia Topuria pieced them up in spectacular fashion and made them look like fish out of water, despite their incredible past performances and all-round dominance. Dan Hooker believes Topuria should be able to do something special if he wishes to add to the legacy he’s built as a 145-pounder.

It could either mean winning the title or going after a big star like Conor McGregor for the famed “red panty night” opportunity. However, that last option is unlikely given the line of fighters waiting to challenge McGregor, and also considering the different trajectories McGregor and Topuria are on currently in their respective lives. And even if it isn’t ‘The Notorious’, there are plenty of names in the 155-lb division that could be beautiful matchups for Ilia Topuria; Charles Oliveira, Arman Tsarukyan, Justin Gaethje, and of course Max Holloway, who is also hinted at moving up a weight class.

Meanwhile, Dan Hooker made a bold claim about Ilia Topuria after he vacated the 145-lb title. ‘The Hangman’ believes that it was, in fact, Dana White who might have suggested that ‘El Matador’ move up to the lightweight division. Here’s what the Kiwi fighter had to say.

Dan Hooker believes Dana White ‘stripped’ Ilia Topuria

In the same interview, Dan Hooker mentioned how Ilia Topuria was gunning for the simultaneous dual-weight championship status. According to ‘The Hangman’, Dana White could have allowed the Georgian-Spaniard to keep his featherweight title while moving up to lightweight. And for all the noise about not being able to make 145 lbs, it might have been the case where the UFC head honcho might have been forced to strip ‘El Matador’ off the featherweight title.

“If they were going to have [Topuria] shoot for the double-champ status, then I don’t think they would have stripped him of his title. He’s a guy that’s inactive,” Dan Hooker further stated. He also mentioned how the UFC had the Alexander Volkanovski rematch in mind, but the fact that Topuria has expressed issues with weight cuts might have influenced Dana White to strip ‘El Matador’. “I know that Volk’s been trying to fight Ilia, and the UFC has been wanting to put the Ilia fight together for the longest time. He’s continually said he can’t make the weight.”

Despite the doubts about his chances in the lightweight division, Ilia Topuria seems pretty confident that he will make waves as a 155-er. After all, he did fight and finish Jai Herbert at lightweight in what was only his fourth promotional appearance. There’s no doubt that he’ll find success at 155 lbs. Question is—will he become the lightweight champion? What do you think? Drop your comments below.