BOMB! Ilia Topuria will lose his Featherweight Champion title

Ilia Topuria vacates the featherweight title and aims for a new category in the UFC

The UFC has taken an unexpected turn following Dana White's announcement about the upcoming fights between March and May. One of the biggest surprises is that Ilia Topuria will not defend his featherweight belt. Instead, Alexander Volkanovski and Diego Lopes will face off for the title at UFC 314 in Miami, confirming that "El Matador" has vacated his championship to move up a division and challenge Islam Makhachev at lightweight.

"Ilia feels he has achieved everything at 145 pounds, that he has left his mark, and that his body can no longer continue competing at that weight. Now his goal is at 155 pounds. As soon as we finalize his next fight, we will announce it," explained Dana White, making it clear that the decision has been completely personal on the part of the Spanish-Georgian.

This decision has generated divided opinions in the MMA community. Some believe that Topuria still had challenges pending in the featherweight division, while others consider the category change a strategic move to expand his legacy. In any case, the Spanish champion has the opportunity to become a monarch in two divisions, after having defeated big names like Alexander Volkanovski and Max Holloway.

According to renowned journalist Ariel Helwani, the UFC is organizing the fight between Islam Makhachev and Ilia Topuria for the International Fight Week in June, at UFC 317 in Las Vegas, Nevada. If confirmed, Topuria could compete for the lightweight title in one of the most anticipated cards of the year.