Ilia Topuria has established himself as a bona fide pound-for-pound star following his emphatic knockout against MMA legend Alexander Volkanovski at UFC 298.
Boasting an unbeaten record in MMA’s flagship organization, the 27-year-old has cultivated a formidable reputation, ending five of his last six outings inside the distance.
His stoppage over Alexander Volkanovski, though, remains by far his most impressive, with the featherweight king proving to be one of the UFC’s best boxers.
And so, Ilia Topuria will look to extend his scintillating winning streak this Saturday, when he makes his first title defense against Max Holloway in Abu Dhabi.
Ilia Topuria rejects a potential rematch with Alexander Volkanovski at UFC 312
Holloway comes off a truly astonishing performance against Justin Gaethje, stopping his opponent in the final second of round five to claim the BMF lightweight trinket.
But now, he is gearing up to take on Topuria for his old 145 lb belt, in a contest that should make for a compelling clash of styles.
Elsewhere in the featherweight division, too, Volkanovski is looking to land a title shot against the winner of Topuria vs Holloway.
And while he suspects that the American, win or lose, will move back up to lightweight, the 36-year-old also knows that a rematch with the Spaniard is by no means straight forward.
Even so, Volkanovski has confirmed that his next outing will take place in Australia at UFC 312, a card that Topuria has categorically refused to collide with him on.
“That’s never going to happen,” Topuria said at Wednesday’s media day for UFC 308. “I’m the champion and, if you want to fight for the title again, it has to be in Madrid instead of fighting in Australia in front of your people.
“Why would I want to give you that advantage?”
Alexander Volkanovski to face Diego Lopes at UFC 312
Regardless of who his opponent will be, Volkanovski’s next fight is almost guaranteed to take place in Sydney next year.
And if he is unable to secure a showdown for the featherweight crown, the Australian has expressed an interest in facing Diego Lopes for the interim title.
Lopes comes off a comprehensive display against Brian Ortega, securing a unanimous decision victory at UFC 306 to become one of his division’s top contenders.
And so, a clash with Volkanovski at UFC 312 – with the winner putting themselves next in line for the champion – could make perfect sense for both fighters.