Ilia Topuria knows what he wants next.
Topuria picked up the biggest win of his Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) career at UFC Jacksonville last night (Sat., Jun 24, 2023) when he dismantled Josh Emmett for five rounds from inside VyStar Veterans Memorial Arena in Jacksonville, Fla. It was his first main event, and he shined while picking up a ‘Fight of the Night’ bonus.
Next week “El Matador” will likely crack the top five in the top 15 Featherweight rankings, leaving him in an interesting position. A fight with Brian Ortega or Arnold Allen could make sense, but he isn’t looking at those contenders. He wants a title shot against the winner of Alexander Volkanovski vs. Yair Rodriguez, which goes down at UFC 290 in two weeks, OR a fight with Max Holloway in Spain.
“Busy or not busy; I don’t know if [Volkanovski] is busy. I’m the next guy in the line. I can wait. One of the best skills I have is patience,” Topuira told reporters during the UFC Jacksonville press conference (watch it here). “If they offer me to fight Max Holloway in Spain – let’s do it. If not, I’m gonna wait for my title shot. That’s all.”
Ilia Topuria believes he’s “next in line” for a title shot and only a fight against Max Holloway in Spain could entice him not to wait #UFCJacksonville pic.twitter.com/4eUzXHuLfn
— MMAFighting.com (@MMAFighting) June 24, 2023
With Holloway scheduled to fight “The Korean Zombie” later this year, a fight with the winner of UFC 290 makes more sense because of the timeline.
Topuria is 6-0 in the UFC with four finishes.
For complete UFC Jacksonville results, coverage, and highlights click HERE.