Ilia Topuria is moving up to 155lbs, and the MMA world can’t stop buzzing about it. The soon-to-be former featherweight king appeared to be on his way to becoming the division’s greatest of all time. After all, knocking out the two greatest 145-pounders in a single calendar year is no small feat. However, there was one glaring issue — making the featherweight limit pushed Topuria to his absolute limit. Fans may recall the emotional footage of Topuria in tears while cutting weight for his UFC 298 title fight against Alexander Volkanovski. The brutal toll was unreal!

Adding to the concern, Topuria’s coach, Jorge Climent, previously revealed that the Spanish-Georgian walks around at approximately 187 pounds outside of camp — an enormous cut to reach the 145-pound limit. So instead of continuing to punish his body, ‘El Matador’ is out to conquer the lightweight waters for good. And while most are excited about it, others are more critical. Including Topuria’s good friend and Georgian compatriot, Merab Dvalishvili‘s own team. This includes GSP beater and former UFC welterweight champion, Matt Serra, who corners the 135lbs champ.

“I think it’s gonna be interesting to see him at 155. I would have liked to see him at 145  a little bit more. He had some big wins, obviously, with Volkanovski and Max Holloway. But I think it might be a little premature to go up. Not that he couldn’t do it! I’m sure he can do it. But why not be a savage and clear out that division even more? You got Diego Lopes, you got other guys down there that are f—ing dangerous,” Serra told BKFC superstar Mike Perry on the latter’s ‘Overdogs’ podcast.

Of course,  Topuria moved up because he just couldn’t make 145 anymore. If the weight-cut wasn’t an issue, ‘El Matador’ may well have stuck around featherweight longer. Its not like he’s in a very good position right now. While he is still technically the 145-pound champion, it will be vacated the moment the Alexander Volkanovski vs. Diego Lopes UFC 314 title clash starts.

And since lightweight champ Islam Makhachev has refused to fight him right away, Topuria is practically just another lightweight at the moment. No title, not even a title shot right now. Instead, he will have to fight another top 155fer, hope he wins, and then hope that it is good enough to secure him a title shot. So yeah, it seems Topuria made this decision out of necessity since making 145 is so hard for him. On the other hand, Serra’s opinion does hold a lot of merit since Topuria moving up may prove to be one of the greatest what-ifs in UFC history.

What could have been if Ilia Topuria stayed at 145lbs a bit longer?

Indeed, as Matt Serra pointed out, the featherweight division is pretty exciting at the moment. Although it was a bit stagnant in recent times, young and hungry lions like the destructive Diego Lopes and the inscrutable Movsar Evloev have made their way to the top. Moreover, the young blood is as tough as they come! Lopes with his dynamism, heave hands, and warrior spirit, as well as Evloev with his world-class wrestling would have been pretty great opponents for ‘El Matador’.

If Topuria had moved up after beating Volkanovski in a rematch and wins over Lopes and Evloev, he would have been termed the greatest 145-pounder in history by many. And then Topuria could have concentrated on carving out a legacy for himself at lightweight! Not to mention, the toughest, most competitive division in the entire sport.

If his current form held, and he went on to become 155lbs champion, he would have been in the GOAT conversation. And if he had managed to defend his lightweight belt a few times, Topuria would have found himself on the Mt. Rushmore of MMA. But alas, since ‘El Matador’ moved up without really cementing his legacy as the featherweight GOAT, it would be much much harder for him that pinnacle of all-time greats. What do you think about Matt Serra’s take on Ilia Topuria moving up to 155?