Former UFC featherweight titleholder Ilia Topuria doesn’t support Yair Rodriguez’s title shot case.
Ilia Topuria remains unclear for his intended UFC lightweight return to the Octagon later this year. It was initially thought that he’d face UFC lightweight champion Islam Makhachev for an immediate title shot. Still, the fight is growing increasingly unlikely due to Makhachev and his team’s apprehension in granting him the next opportunity at the belt.
Topuria opted to vacate the UFC’s 145 lb title for a full-time move to lightweight, after several grueling cuts to the featherweight weight limit, most notably at UFC 308 for his clash with Max Holloway. But despite leaving the division, Topuria keeps a keen eye on the top featherweight contenders, as they look to challenge for Alexander Volkanovski‘s title.
After Topuria’s leave, the UFC featherweight division still has a slew of talent at the top, including Movsar Evloev and former title challenger Yair Rodriguez. Evloev and Rodriguez are the two names tossed around for Volkanovski’s next title defense, but Topuria believes Rodriguez is well behind making the case for another title opportunity.
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Ilia Topuria dismisses Yair Rodriguez’s claim for the next featherweight title shot
After spoiling former Bellator champ Patricio ‘Pitbull‘s UFC debut at UFC 314, Rodriguez called for the next title shot, despite losses in two of his last three fights. Rodriguez lost to Volkanovski at UFC 290 in a dominant performance by the titleholder.
Topuria doesn’t believe Rodriguez holds any merit when it comes to discussing who should be next for Volkanovski.
During a recent appearance on The Joe Rogan Experience, Topuria was asked about Yair Rodriguez and had a less-than-enthused assessment of the former title challenger.
“I don’t know what to tell you about Yair Rodriguez. I’m not a big fan of him,” Topuria said of Rodriguez. “He’s the type of guy that you don’t even need to take him down, he goes to the ground himself. He’s like very spectacular the way he fights, the striking, the kicks he throws and all that, but I’m not a big fan of him.
“I’m a fan of Volk (Volkanovski) and Max Holloway,” Topuria continued. “Actually, they were the smartest guys that I ever faced inside the octagon. I felt that they were smart. They had that fight IQ. They know how to fight.” (h/t MMA Junkie)
Rodriguez and Topuria have some history. Ahead of a recent fight at UFC Mexico City, Rodriguez expressed disdain for the then-featherweight champion Topuria, admitting he ‘doesn’t f—— like’ the brash UFC star.
Rodriguez’s comments were in reaction to Topuria’s disinterest in facing some of the top featherweights in the division. Before Topuria faced Holloway in his lone featherweight title defense, he dismissed facing the division’s top contenders, ultimately leading to a move to the lightweight division.
Top lightweight discredits Ilia Topuria’s chances vs. Islam Makhachev
As Topuria discredited Rodriguez, a top lightweight contender questioned his chances of dethroning Makhachev in his divisional debut. Mateusz Gamrot pointed to Topuria’s small stature as a significant reason why he believes he’ll struggle to fight Makhachev if they’re booked later this year.
Contrary to Topuria’s assertion, UFC lightweight Dan Hooker believes Rodriguez deserves the next title shot over Evloev after watching his performance at UFC 314. Meanwhile, Evloev hasn’t fought since defeating Aljamain Sterling at UFC 310 in December.
Topuria could also potentially face longtime rival Paddy Pimblett for his lightweight return, after the latter’s recent win at UFC 314. Topuria and Pimblett have been on each other’s nerves for years, stemming from a 2022 altercation at UFC London.
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