Ilia Topuria has always exuded confidence and ahead of his move up to lightweight, he has once again predicted his fate.
When Ilia Topuria knocked out Alexander Volkanovski at UFC 298, it became abundantly clear that the 28-year-old was potentially the promotions next huge star.
‘El Matador’ went on to continue showcasing his ‘aura’ when he became the first fighter in UFC history to knockout Max Holloway, successfully defending his strap at UFC 308.
Having picked up two of the biggest scalps in the 145lb division, Topuria shockingly announced he was vacating the title and would be moving up to the lightweight division permanently.
And with that, Topuria has relentlessly pursued a title fight against Islam Makhachev, the current lightweight king.
Ilia Topuria declares himself the champion of the lightweight division
Having also recently revealed that he will change his ‘El Matador’ nickname head of his potential clash with Makhachev, Ilia Topuria has made a huge declaration regarding his status in the lightweight division.
“I am the lightweight world champion,” the Spaniard declared in an interview with Mens Health Spain.
“I’m clear about it, otherwise I wouldn’t change (weight). I won’t sign up for a competition without knowing if I’m going to win or not… No one is at my level,” Topuria continued.
Despite confidently claiming that he is already the lightweight champion, it is unclear whether Topuria’s first fight at the weight class since moving up will come against the current champion.
Makhachev has made it clear that he isn’t interested in fighting the 28-year-old until he picks up a win over a top contender first. And with that, Topuria and Charles Oliveira have been involved in an online feud, potentially setting up a number one contender fight.
Topuria did something similar ahead of fight against Volkanovski
This isn’t the first time Topuria has put his reputation on the line, as ahead of his UFC 298 title challenge against Alexander Volkanovski, Topuria changed his Instagram bio to ‘UFC featherweight champion’.
It was a huge talking point ahead of their clash, with some UFC fans thinking he had bitten off more than he could chew, also accusing him of trying to be Conor McGregor.
However, after scoring such a devastating knockout, Topuria’s pre-fight prediction catapulted him even further into superstardom.