Ilia
Topuria claims the
UFC has promised him a title fight next.
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Topuria won the featherweight title by knocking out Alexander
Volkanovski at UFC 298 last year and defended it with a
knockout over Max
Holloway at UFC 308. “La Layenda” has since been contemplating
a move to lightweight, which came to fruition last month.
While Topuria vacated his featherweight strap, his next matchup at
lightweight is yet to be announced. Although the undefeated
superstar has already proclaimed himself the lightweight king,
champ Islam
Makhachev is loathe to give him an immediate title shot. Even
former champ and perennial contender Charles
Oliveira is unwilling to fight Topuria before he proves himself
at 155 pounds.
However, Topuria claims to have been promised a title fight next
when he vacated his 145-pound belt.
“I’m not entirely sure what my next fight will be,” Topuria
said during a recent press conference. “The only thing
I’m sure of is that the UFC’s word is that my next fight will be
for the world title… Afterwards if it’s going to be Islam, if it’s
going to be Charles, I have no idea… The belt will be on the line
[for my next fight], it will be on the line. That was the promise
for leaving my title vacant. They’ve always kept their promises.”