Ahead of his return later this month in the main event of UFC 308, unbeaten featherweight king, Ilia Topuria has vowed to take the lightweight crown in the future to boot — claiming he would take on all competitors in the division “in the same night.
Topuria, the current undisputed featherweight gold holder, is slated to return at UFC 308 later this month in Abu Dhabi, taking on former champion and symbolic BMF titleholder, Max Holloway in a huge grudge fight between the duo in the United Arab Emirates.
Winning the 145 pound crown back in February in the main event of UFC 298, Georgian-Spaniard, Topuria most recently handed Australian foe, Alexander Volkanovski his first defeat at the featherweight limit — courtesy of a stunning second round knockout win in Anaheim.
Ilia Topuria sends chilling warning to entire lightweight division ahead of UFC 308 return
And playing up a potential fight with current lightweight gold holder and pound-for-pound number one, Islam Makhachev in the future, Topuria has now offered to take on all comers in the near future — a whole division higher.
“With me, it’s going to be very difficult,” Ilia Topuria said in a warning message to lightweights during an Instagram Live session. “And even more so at [lightweight]. If I didn’t have to cut weight, my goodness. My goodness. I could fight all of them in the same night. All of them.”
Ilia Topuria: "With me, it's going to be very difficult. And even more so at [lightweight]. If I didn't have to cut weight, my goodness. My goodness.
I could fight all of them in the same night. All of them."
(via. IG / @Topuriailia) #UFC #MMA pic.twitter.com/vCA79vma4d
— Championship Rounds (@ChampRDS) October 7, 2024
Ilia Topuria: "With me, it's going to be very difficult. And even more so at [lightweight]. If I didn't have to cut weight, my goodness. My goodness.
Tasked with defending his featherweight crown for the first time in his showdown with Hawaiian star, Holloway later this month at UFC 308, Topuria, who improved to 15-0 with his knockout win over New South Wales favorite, Volkanovski — has vowed to turn in a similarly dominant win over the former champion as they share the Octagon before the end of this month.