Ilia Topuria has made it clear that if he becomes the champion, he will not grant any of the top-ranked featherweights a shot at the title. Topuria, who remains undefeated with a record of 14-0 in MMA and 6-0 in the UFC, is set to challenge featherweight champion Alexander Volkanovski (26-3 MMA, 13-2 UFC) in the main event of UFC 298 on February 17th at the Honda Center in Anaheim, California. Despite Volkanovski’s impressive reign as a five-time defending champion, Topuria confidently predicts a first-round knockout and believes that a rematch will not be necessary.
During an interview on “The MMA Hour,” Topuria dismissed the idea of facing former champion Max Holloway for his first title defense. Instead, he expressed his desire to go after Conor McGregor, who is expected to make his return against Michael Chandler. Topuria questions the logic of fighting a guy who has been defeated by McGregor three times before, stating that it simply doesn’t make sense. He firmly states that fighters like Max Holloway, Yair Rodriguez, and Brian Ortega can retire without ever getting the opportunity to fight for the title.
As for who his next opponent might be, Topuria admits that he doesn’t know. He believes that the UFC has a better understanding of the situation and doubts they will offer him fights against Max Holloway or the other names he mentioned. For now, his focus is solely on his upcoming fight, and he is eager to see what the future holds for him in the sport.