Ilia Topuria’s Future in the UFC
Ilia Topuria, the undefeated featherweight champion, has been making headlines despite not competing for almost two months. His recent statements about not competing in the featherweight division again have sparked a lot of interest. Topuria expressed his desire to fight in April in Miami against Charles Oliveira, which caught the attention of Khabib Nurmagomedov, coach and best friend of Islam Makhachev.
Khabib spoke with Henry Cejudo on his podcast ‘Pound 4 Pound’ about Topuria’s statements. Cejudo mentioned that Topuria deserves a chance to fight for the lightweight title if he beats Oliveira or Dustin Poirier. Khabib agreed with Cejudo, stating that if Topuria gains weight and beats someone like Oliveira or Poirier, he would be next in line for the title.
A Fight Before the Belt
Cejudo also speculated about the possibility of giving Topuria the title opportunity without first having another fight in the division. However, Khabib showed himself in the same line as Makhachev, stating that Topuria doesn’t deserve it without fighting first. Khabib believes that Topuria has to hit the table in the lightweight division to qualify for the belt.
Khabib thinks that Topuria can beat Oliveira, but he needs to prove himself in the lightweight division first. Topuria’s future in the UFC is uncertain, but one thing is clear – he needs to keep winning to get a chance at the title.