2025 has already been a big year for ‘El Matador’ but it is only just beginning to truly kick into gear.
Following a star-making 2024 where he became the UFC featherweight champion, Ilia Topuria vacated the title last month to move up to lightweight.
The undefeated former champ had previously stated that he didn’t plan on sticking around at 145-pounds for long due to the difficult weight cuts he was putting himself through.
We now await news about what he will do next with Topuria recently teasing fans by hyping up an incoming announcement.
Lightweight champion Islam Makhachev seemingly also hinted at Topuria being his next challenger with a social media post that fans picked up and ran with.
Ilia Topuria stars in new Disney+ promo for the release of Marvel’s Daredevil
Fight fans are watching Ilia Topuria’s social media channels like hawks just in case there is any sign of arguably the two best fighters in the world right now locking horns for the lightweight title.
However, his next move has not been to do with his UFC career although it does show the level of celebrity that he has become in his home country of Spain.
‘El Matador’ recently starred in a new promo video for the Disney+ release of the newest TV series from Marvel Studios, Daredevil: Born Again.
The series recently premiered on the streaming service and on Disney+ Espana, a giveaway is taking place that will grant the winner an opportunity to train with the former featherweight champion.
Considering that he only made his UFC debut in October of 2020, to see Topuria front and center for one of the biggest TV shows of the year shows what he has been able to accomplish in such a short time.
The 28-year-old may not have the same superhuman senses as Matt Murdock but the nickname of ‘The Man Without Fear’ does feel rather fitting for the UFC’s newest superstar.
“WE ARE GIVING AWAY A MASTERCLASS WITH TOPURIA. Learn to fight like Daredevil in an exclusive masterclass taught by Ilia Topuria, happening this Thursday, March 13 in Madrid.”
Does anything else make sense for Ilia Topuria’s next move?
Considering what Ilia Topuria said on social media about fans “not believing” his next move once it is announced, that would seemingly point to only one fight.
Of course, a number one contender matchup against the likes of Charles Oliveira would still be a massive fight but the one that everyone wants to see is Islam Makhachev.
There’s an assumption that Topuria wouldn’t vacate the featherweight title unless this opportunity to immediately fight for the lightweight belt wasn’t already presented.
Though we don’t know that the Makhachev fight is 100% next for him, it does feel like anything other than that would be slightly underwhelming.