UFC featherweight champion Ilia Topuria has his eyes set on bigger challenges. Topuria has one featherweight title defense on his resume but is considering moving up to lightweight.
Topuria, 27, mulled over earning a UFC lightweight title shot. Topuria suggested fighting Charles Oliveira in a title eliminator to challenge the winner of lightweight champion Islam Makhachev vs. Arman Tsarukyan, a fight headlining UFC 311 on Jan. 18.
"I don't have an idea because I still have to have a couple of conversations, to talk about it and see how they see my future," Topuria told Spanish program "El Partidazo de COPE," according to MMA Fighting's translation. "But more or less, I have it quite clear how I want it to be and an idea that I want.
"I would like to go up to the next division and since Islam, the champion in that division, is going to fight in January and he's not going to stay -- That is, he's not going to be ready for April, May, I would like to fight with the No. 1 contender that division has right now. That's Charles Oliveira."
Topuria has one career fight at lightweight. He stepped in on short notice against striker Jai Herbert at the March 2022 UFC Fight Night in London. Topuria was nearly knocked out by a vicious head kick, but endured and finished Herbert. The featherweight champion has fought as low as bantamweight but admits the featherweight cut is challenging.
"I already have a UFC fight at lightweight, it was the one in London," Topuria said. "The truth is that I felt super comfortable with the process because the weight cuts don't affect you, it gives you the opportunity to stay a little more active. Because if you eliminate that part, then it's going to be a pretty fun trip.
"Maybe it's time for a change. Now it's time to enjoy, enjoy a little more of what I do. Not care so much about the weight cut... You evolve, you grow, your body develops more and it costs more and more to cut weight."
Topuria improved his professional mixed martial arts record to 16-0 by handing Max Hollway his first KO loss. Topuria previously knocked out Alexander Volkanovski in February to become UFC featherweight champion.
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"I was walking back with Aljamain Sterling, and some guy grabbed my shoulder. Then, he had a phone, and he was filming the video," Dvalishvili told combat sports journalist Ariel Helwani on Tuesday. "He was disrespecting me [in the] Russian language. My Russian is not good. I don't really speak Russian. But I know the bad words. He was cursing at me, cursing my family.
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