Ilia Topuria happier than ever thanks to those 10 extra pounds for UFC 317
LAS VEGAS – Ahead of his chance to become a two-division UFC champion next week, Ilia Topuria sounds like he has few, if any, regrets about his move to lightweight.
Topuria vacated the featherweight title earlier this year so he could move to lightweight, presumably for a shot at champ Islam Makhachev. But Makhachev announced a move to welterweight and vacated the lightweight belt.
Advertisement
Now Topuria (16-0 MMA, 8-0 UFC) meets Charles Oliveira (35-10 MMA, 23-10 UFC) for the vacant 155-pound title in the main event of UFC 317 next week at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas.
Apart from not getting a chance to fight Makhachev, considered by many the world's pound-for-pound best fighter currently, Topuria said not cutting to 145 pounds has made his entire life better – not just in the fight world.
"This is the happiest I ever have been in my training camps because of the weight cut," Topuria said Friday at a media scrum ahead of an open workout in Las Vegas. "I have been able to enjoy the whole process, and I feel ready. I feel ready, man. You guys are not even expecting what you're going to see on June 28.
"Everything (changed) because at the end of the day, that 10 pounds makes a lot of difference. In my life, before, I had to be for 12 weeks cutting the weight. I haven't been able to enjoy anything because I have to be professional at the same time in the fight game and also in the nutrition part. So this time, I have been able to enjoy the whole process and I'm very happy."
Advertisement
The UFC has had a handful of champions who have been able to win a belt in a second division while concurrently the champion of another, but the promotion appears to be moving away from that. Because of that, Topuria essentially had to vacate his 145-pound title to move up to 155.
But just because he won't be a simultaneous two-division champ if he wins, he won't let an opportunity to remind people of the historic nature of his potential win pass him by.
"I don't care (about having two titles at the same time)," he said. "I'm going to put both belts on my shoulders, anyway."
Topuria is more than a 4-1 betting favorite against Oliveira, a former lightweight champ who had to vacate the title when he missed weight ahead of a title defense against Justin Gaethje in 2022.
This article originally appeared on MMA Junkie: Ilia Topuria happier than ever in lightweight title move for UFC 317
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
USA Today
an hour ago
- USA Today
Ilia Topuria sees scenario in which he has shot to win titles in three UFC divisions
LAS VEGAS – It's possible Ilia Topuria's stay at lightweight will be short-lived – even if he wins the title next week. Topuria (16-0 MMA, 8-0 UFC) meets Charles Oliveira (35-10 MMA, 23-10 UFC) for the vacant 155-pound title in the main event of UFC 317 next week at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas. Topuria earlier this year vacated the featherweight title so he could move to lightweight and a shot at title in a second division, even though he wasn't able to retain his 145-pound strap at the same time. Topuria reiterated Friday that he wanted a shot at former champ Islam Makhachev (27-1 MMA, 16-1 UFC), who vacated his lightweight belt and announced a move to welterweight. He's expected to challenge new 170-pound champ Jack Della Maddalena later this year. "To be honest, I wanted to face (Makhachev) because he was the guy who was dominating anyone and everyone (at lightweight)," Topuria said Friday at a media scrum ahead of an open workout in Las Vegas. "But at the end of the day, I can't control what they do. The only thing I can control is what I do. So I wanted to move up, I wanted to fight for the title of this division. That's what I'm doing. He decided to move up also. I can't do anything else but go and fight whoever wants to fight me." Except Topuria said there maybe is something else he could do, in theory, to get a fight with Makhachev. If Makhachev, longtime protege of Khabib Nurmagomedov, wins the welterweight title, and Topuria has the lightweight belt, he might go through this whole exercise again to fight at 170 pounds. The UFC never has had a fighter win titles in three different divisions. "We'll see how he does in the welterweight division, if he wins the title and I win the title in the lightweight division. Maybe I move up or he comes down to the lightweight division and we have the fight that everyone wants to see," Topuria said. "… If Islam becomes the world welterweight champion, for sure I'm going to push for that shot and I will move to the welterweight division."
USA Today
2 hours ago
- USA Today
Joe Rogan references Ilia Topuria to highlight that it's 'an amazing time for the sport'
Amidst concern over the UFC's decreasing popularity, Joe Rogan insists the sport is in a great spot. Several super fights such as Islam Makhachev vs. Ilia Topuria and Jon Jones vs. Tom Aspinall have either failed to materialize or are yet to materialize, leaving UFC fans frustrated. But popular podcast host and UFC commentator Rogan thinks skill and talent-wise, MMA is the best it's ever been. He used undefeated, former UFC featherweight champion Topuria (16-0 MMA, 8-0 UFC) as an example. "Ilia Topuria, who's fighting Charles Oliveira at the end of the month – that guy is insane. That guy has knocked out two of the greatest featherweights of all time: (Alexander) Volkanovski and Max Holloway," Rogan said on a recent episode of his "Joe Rogan Experience" podcast. "Nobody could knock those guys out at featherweight before. He did, and he made it look easy. He's just on another level from everybody. Now he's moving up to 155 pounds. He decided he cleared out that division, and he's moving up. "There's guys like that, their level is above everybody else's level, and with Ilia, it's everything. It's his submissions, his kicks, his punches, everything. He can do anything. He does everything perfect. All his technique is perfect. He's f*cking driven and ultra confident. This is an amazing time for the sport, man. It's a crazy time because these guys that are coming in with like one fight in the UFC, they look like world-class contenders right away." Topuria takes on Charles Oliveira (35-10 MMA, 23-10 UFC) for the vacant lightweight title in the UFC 317 main event on June 28 from T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas (ESPN+ pay-per-view, ESPN, ESPN+).
USA Today
2 hours ago
- USA Today
'Game over': After fighting out contract, Paul Craig would retire if not re-signed by UFC
Paul Craig fought out his contract at UFC on ESPN 69, and now he's not sure what the future holds. Craig's light heavyweight bout against Rodolfo Bellato this past Saturday at State Farm Arena in Atlanta was ruled a no contest after he illegally upkicked Bellato with just one second remaining in Round 1. The outcome of the fight leaves Craig (17-9-1 MMA, 9-9-1 UFC) in a quandary, because he is winless in his past four fights and closed out his deal in unceremonious fashion. He's not left in limbo, and Craig said if UFC doesn't re-sign him, he's unsure if he'll fight again – period. "This was the last fight in my contract so, I've fought my five fights for that last contract," Craig said on the "On Paper with Anthony Smith" podcast. "And it's in the balance of like do UFC sign me? I'm coming off a few losses as a middleweight. I moved back to light heavyweight to re-energize myself my career. I don't believe I'm ready to retire from this sport. I believe there's still a lot of learning that I'm doing, and it's the training. If I'm training and doing the same stuff and getting beat up in training, and going into fights and doing the exact same stuff and getting beat up, then it's time for me to walk away. "But I do believe I'm getting better. When I look at how much my striking improved against Bo Nickal, look at how my standup has improved over the years, that's where I'm working really hard. In jiu-jitsu as well, like I'm still learning. I'm still learning simple moves in jiu-jitsu which I'm able to add to my game, and as soon as that stops, then I'll walk away from this sport. But, it's not happening right now, and I would like to continue to fight for the UFC, but if they decide that it's not for me then they kind of force your hand, and then it would be game over for me. I would just walk away from the sport." Scotland's Craig, 37, holds notable wins over former champions Magomed Ankalaev and Jamahal Hill at light heavyweight. After going 1-3 at middleweight, the he returned to his original home against Bellato at 205 pounds, but wasn't able to rebound due to the unfortunate ending.
