Topuria’s ‘perfect scenario’ for the UFC is something we’ve never seen before
Topuria spoke at WOW 19 about the future of his brother, who will fight Charles Oliveira for the lightweight title on June 28 in Las Vegas.
On June 28th in Las Vegas, Ilia Topuria will face Charles Oliveira for the UFC lightweight title. After vacating his featherweight belt, this will be the second championship he competes for—and it might not be the last. Both Ilia and his brother, Aleksandre, have spoken about the possibility of the Spanish-Georgian star moving up to welterweight to face Islam Makhachev.
“The perfect scenario would be Ilia defeating Oliveira, Islam winning in the higher weight class, and then Ilia moving up to fight for a third belt,” Aleksandre told journalist Enrique Gimeno, outlining his brother’s ambitious future. Makhachev, the former lightweight champion with five successful title defenses, had moved up a division—a decision Topuria interpreted as running away.
Ilia opens door to more
Due to his difficult weight cuts, Makhachev had long expressed interest in moving to welterweight. However, he was reluctant to face then-champion Belal Muhammad, a close friend. Once Muhammad lost the title, Makhachev made the move and vacated the lightweight belt—just as Ilia did after leaving featherweight behind.
“If the fans want to see me fight at welterweight and there’s a champion in that division, why not? I fight to entertain people. Of course, I also need to be motivated by the challenge,” Ilia said at the WOW 19 Topuria press conference. “So I’m not closing that door.”
The Spanish-Georgian has made it clear he’s aiming to become a three-division UFC champion—something no fighter has ever accomplished. “If the opportunity arises and it’s an exciting matchup, I’ll be ready. I just hope the other party is willing too—not just to talk, but to back it up,” he concluded.
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