When will UFC champion Topuria fight again? Who will be his opponent?
There have been a lot of rumors about the featherweight king’s return to the cage and now Topuria has talked about it.
Ilia Topuria has become one of the most popular UFC mixed martial artists. The Spanish-Georgian star is undefeated, with a record of 15 wins in his 15 fights as a professional, and his knockout victory over Alexander Volkanovski made him clinch gold in the world’s biggest MMA company.
After that, El Matador has had a few word exchanges on social media with potential opponents, like Max Holloway, Suga Sean O’Malley, and even Conor McGregor.
Although he repeatedly admitted he would love to take on The Notorious in Spain, Topuria’s most probable fight is the Hawaiian, although everything has been on hold since both men agreed to meet in the cage in April.
What did UFC champ Topuria say about his return?
Topuria addressed his fans worldwide, confirming he will return to action soon, although there’s still no official date. However, he will likely fight again in the second half of 2024, probably between September and December.
The featherweight star let the combat sports community know he will return to the octagon soon on social media.
“It seems that the UFC has forced him to say yes. El Matador is back. Congratulations to all UFC fans”, he wrote.
That first sentence seems to refer to the BMF champion, Max Holloway. In one of his most recent comments, Topuria claimed Blessed was refusing to sign the contract to be the challenger for the 145-pound title.
Abu Dhabi and Salt Lake, possible venues
A few months ago, it seemed Topuria and Holloway would showcase the main fight at UFC 306, which would take the UFC to The Sphere in Las Vegas for the first time, an event in which the company has made a big investment.
However, UFC 306 (September 14) is edging closer and in the meantime, there has been news about other fights and negotiations. Those factors suggest Sean O’Malley and Merab Dvalishvili will headline the event in a bantamweight title fight.
Following the UFC’s numbered events, Salt Lake will be the venue to host UFC 307 (October 5), while UFC 308 will move to Abu Dhabi. Topuria likes the possibility of fighting in the United Arab Emirates’ capital, as schedules would fit better in the European prime time.