UFC superstar Ilia Topuria can finally talk about his next fight and it’s a big one.
The former UFC Featherweight Champion took the UFC at their word and vacated his belt when they promised him an immediate lightweight title shot.
His opponent, long thought to be champion Islam Makhachev, will actually be former champ Charles Oliveira for the vacant lightweight title at UFC 317 on June 28th.
Makhachev relinquished his title on Tuesday in pursuit of welterweight gold against the newly-crowned Jack Della Maddalena at the weight class above.
Hinting at his highly-anticipated return for months, Ilia Topuria has broken his silence on fighting for a second world title at this year’s International Fight Week.
Ilia Topuria apologizes to Charles Oliveira, says Islam Makhachev ‘ran away’ from division
A heavy-handed slayer of fan-favorites Alexander Volkanovski and Max Holloway, ‘El Matador’ will look to put down Oliveira as well, sending his regards to the beloved Brazilian as he sets out to make history.
“On June 28, another dream will come true,” Topuria wrote on ‘X’ following the UFC 317 announcement.
“I’ll be the champion of the lightweight division.
“Charles, my apologies in advance… I’m just fighting for my dreams.”
Topuria would also drop the name of the lightweight champion, suggesting he left because of his arrival.
“It’s unfortunate that Makhachev ran away,” Topuria said of Makhachev moving up to welterweight.
‘Don’t make it too brutal’ … Fans tell Ilia Topuria to take it easy on Charles Oliveira
While it may not be Makhachev vs. Topuria, the UFC 317 main event will likely go down as one of the biggest lightweight title fights in UFC history.
The 28-year-old Topuria’s undefeated at 16-0 with momentum on his side. Two title fights into his career, the knockout artist is already one of the most-followed stars the sport has ever seen with over 7 million fans on Instagram alone.
The same goes for Oliveira, the sensational submission artist who is hard to root against because of his long and hard road to UFC gold in 2021.
Some UFC fans are literally begging Topuria not to beat him too badly, come June 28th.
“If you win, don’t make it too brutal. maybe just submit charles. or maybe u guys can come to an agreement and share the belt?” one fan wrote to Topuria on ‘X’.
“Please don’t make it ugly. It’s Charles after all, I know you’re a fan too,” another fan wrote.
“Don’t make it brutal man,” another fan said.