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Ilia Topuria teases major change ahead of “new era” in UFC lightweight division

Topuria vacated the UFC featherweight belt for a move up to the lightweight division.
Drew Beaupre|
Gary A. Vasquez-Imagn Images

It looks like undefeated UFC star Ilia Topuria plans to change more than just his weight class for his next outing in the Octagon.

Holding a perfect 16-0 professional record that includes eight wins since joining the UFC in 2020, Topuria knocked out longtime titleholder Alexander Volkanovski to claim the UFC featherweight belt in February of last year.

“El Matador” followed that performance up by stopping another divisional legend in Max Holloway for his first title defense at UFC 308, but earlier this year fans were left stunned by the news that Topuria was vacating the featherweight belt in order to move up to the lightweight division on a full-time basis.

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Ilia Topuria celebrates his championship victory against Alexander Volkanovski during UFC 298 at Honda Center.
Ilia Topuria celebrates his championship victory against Alexander Volkanovski during UFC 298 at Honda Center. | Gary A. Vasquez-Imagn Images

The End Of "El Matador"

It’s still unclear when Topuria will be returning to the cage as a lightweight and who might be standing across from him, but the 28-year-old did recently inform fans that he plans to leave his nickname of “El Matador” behind in the featherweight division.

“El Matador has been my ally in every fight. But next time, I’ll step into the octagon with a new identity. #NewEra”

Topuria does already have one lightweight appearance under his belt – a 2022 outing against Jai Herbert at that year’s edition of UFC London. Herbert almost finished Topuria during the course of the fight, but the future champion rallied to score a second-round knockout that also earned him a “Performance of the Night” bonus.

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Ilia Topuria defeats Jai Herbert during UFC Fight Night at O2 Arena.
Ilia Topuria defeats Jai Herbert during UFC Fight Night at O2 Arena. | Per Haljestam-Imagn Images

Topuria's Future At Lightweight

A potential champion vs. champion matchup between UFC Lightweight Champion Islam Makhachev and Topuria was a major topic of discussion among fans even prior to the latter fighter’s official move to lightweight.

Makhachev’s teammate and UFC Hall of Famer Khabib Nurmagomedov claims Topuria doesn’t deserve a title fight with the lightweight king, while Volkanovski suggests there’s a chance for Topuria to win if his two former foes do end up sharing the Octagon together.

Islam Makhachev leaves the Octagon after defeating Renato Moicano in a lightweight title fight during UFC 311 at Intuit Dome.
Islam Makhachev leaves the Octagon after defeating Renato Moicano in a lightweight title fight during UFC 311 at Intuit Dome. | Gary A. Vasquez-Imagn Images

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“The Great” is scheduled to meet Diego Lopes in a fight for the vacant featherweight title at UFC 314 to officially usher in the division’s post-Topuria era, and for now fans are left waiting on news regarding what the start of a lightweight era will look like for the fighter currently still known as “El Matador”.

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Drew Beaupre
DREW BEAUPRE

Drew is an MMA writer that regularly watches regional events in addition to major promotions such as the UFC, PFL, Bellator, and ONE Championship. He joined MMA Knockout when it was founded in 2023.

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