Former UFC double champion explains what Ilia Topuria should've done differently following title vacation
02/21/2025 09:30 AM
Earlier this week, Ilia Topuria vacated the featherweight title in pursuit of a new challenge at lightweight.
The MMA world was handed a series of shocking news by UFC boss, Dana White earlier this week, with the most surprising being that Ilia Topuria has vacated the featherweight title.
After knocking out both Alexander Volkanovski and Max Holloway in 2024, Ilia Topuria believes there is nothing left for him at 145lbs and has admitted the weight cut was taking its toll on him.
With that, White announced that Volkanovski and Diego Lopes will compete for the vacant title at UFC 314 in Miami and as soon as that fight begins, ‘El Matador’ is no longer a UFC champion.
Daniel Cormier questions Ilia Topuria’s decision to vacate the title
The 28-year-old Spaniard is hopeful of taking on Islam Makhachev for the lightweight title straightaway, despite Makhachev not being entirely open to that idea.
Ever since Conor McGregor became a simultaneous double champion in 2016, it has unfortunately became the norm for fighters to want to jump between weight classes in an attempt to become double champion’s.
With Topuria having only made one defense of the 145lb title, talks of him moving up to lightweight to become a double champion were criticised by a lot of the UFC fanbase, including UFC legend Chael Sonnen.
Despite that, former UFC double champion, Daniel Cormier has questioned Topuria’s decision to vacate the featherweight title, stating that he should’ve held onto it and insisted on an interim title being introduced whilst he attempted double champ status.
“In this instance, most would believe that he’s doing the right thing because he’s not gonna hold up the entire division,” Cormier began to explain in a video on his YouTube channel.
“But for me, I’ve got to be honest, I would’ve been a little bit selfish in this situation because what if he loses? What if he does earn a title fight and what if he loses? Now he’s not even a featherweight champion anymore. He should’ve held onto the belt and waited.
“Lopes and Volkanovski would’ve gladly fought for an interim championship, you go out there with nothing to lose, you’re playing with houses money,” Cormier continued.
Cormier believes Topuria will not fight for the lightweight title straightaway
Although there has been an ongoing feud between Makhachev and Topuria, Cormier doesn’t believe ‘El Matador’ will be given a lightweight title fight straightaway.
Makhachev’s lightweight title reign has been somewhat plagued by the fact that all of his title defences have came against current or former featherweight’s. Because of this, he isn’t keen on handing Topuria a title shot.
And with that, the UFC commentator believes the 28-year-old Spaniard will end up fighting Charles Oliveira in a number one contender fight.
“I’m not talking from any knowledge, I believe it’s Charles Oliveira… You match up Topuria and Oliveira, they fight relatively soon, Islam is in Ramadan… You make them fight with the guarantee that one of these guys get a title fight,” Cormier said.
Diego Lopes claims the UFC are no longer allowing ‘double champions’
Despite Cormier questioning Topuria’s decision to vacate his title, according to Diego Lopes, UFC champion’s have been instructed that they must leave their title vacant if they’re thinking of moving up or down a weight class.
This comes as quite a surprise considering Makhachev has been toying with the idea of moving up to welterweight to become a double champion, as has middleweight champion, Dricus Du Plessis considering a move up to 205lbs.
