Ilia Topuria’s next fight: One opponent stands above the rest for UFC champion
Associated PressIlia Topuria has no shortage of fighters vying for a crack at his newly won UFC featherweight championship, but one opponent stands above the rest.
Topuria entered the UFC as a prized prospect, sporting a perfect 8-0 record and carrying the reputation of a fighter who could end the battle at any given second.
He’s become one of the most feared strikers in the entire promotion, as the Spaniard has recorded a knockout in four of his seven UFC victories while also notching a submission stoppage.
Topuria’s most recent victory came at UFC 298 against one of the best featherweights in MMA history — Alexander Volkanovski. In a shocking turn of events, he dispatched ‘Volk’ with relative ease.
The 27-year-old Topuria knocked the Australian out and earned his first taste of UFC gold. And he wasted little time calling out several potential opponents for his inaugural title defense.
Dana White has yet to announce the new champion’s next opponent, but there are a handful of options that not only make sense, but also come with a brewing war of words.
Contents
- A showdown against Conor McGregor
- Champion vs champion?
- Brian Ortega has the resume
- A rematch with a featherweight legend
- The fight Topuria should take next
A showdown against Conor McGregor
Perhaps the most unlikely option, but Conor McGregor is still one of the most exciting possibilities ahead of his return to the octagon in June after nearly three full years away from the sport.
Although the Irishman will be busy with Michael Chandler at UFC 303, a potential super fight between ‘Mystic Mac’ and reigning featherweight champion Ilia Topuria is brewing.
Upon winning the featherweight strap vs Alexander Volkanovski, Topuria immediately called out McGregor, saying he could pick which weight they fight at, as long as it took place in Spain.
Topuria has campaigned hard for a Spain UFC card in the months since, and he believes McGregor would be the perfect opponent to draw the biggest gate possible for the country.
Furthermore, Topuria sees himself as the successor to McGregor in many ways. He has more explosive firepower in his right hand and is known to talk trash inside and outside the octagon.
Topuria has made it clear that he wants to be one of the greatest fighters of all time. Winning against the Irishman and remaining undefeated in the MMA would go a long way to reaching this lofty goal.
However, Dana White is unlikely to allow his champion to take several months off without a title defense. A McGregor fight is certainly possible down the line, but it remains unlikely for Topuria’s next matchup.
The Sean O’Malley test
While McGregor is an enticing option, reigning bantamweight champion Sean O’Malley is more likely and, frankly, a better matchup overall for Topuria.
Although O’Malley and McGregor share uncanny similarities in and out of the octagon, ‘Suga Sean’ is far younger, holds championship gold of his own, and has a desire to clash with Topuria eventually.
A champion against champion fight is amongst the easiest to sell to UFC fans, as O’Malley’s unorthodox technique contrasts well with Topuria’s controlled chaos as a striker.
The thought of the two standing in the middle of the cage and throwing hands would have even casual combat sports fans tuning in; not to mention each of them has a passionate fanbase backing them as well.
Alas, Dana White has been noncommittal to this fight, claiming that both O’Malley and Topuria must defend their titles within their own divisions before attempting to become double-division champs.
This O’Malley-Topuria feud isn’t going away anytime soon, but fans will likely have to wait until 2025 before the two share an octagon in the UFC.
Brian Ortega has the resume
Sometimes, the most boring option on paper actually makes the most sense. Enter Brian Ortega; the 16-3 featherweight who is making a solid case for a title fight in the division.
Ortega has competed for UFC gold twice before, losing to Max Holloway via TKO at UFC 231 while also dropping the UFC 266 main event to then-champion Alexander Volkanovski by way of decision.
Since then, Ortega has only appeared twice in the UFC, thanks to a couple of nagging shoulder injuries. He lost to Yair Rodriguez in 2022 but bounced back and avenged this defeat in 2024.
Now, Ortega wants a third chance at a UFC title, and he has Topuria firmly in his crosshairs. And according to his comments, the reigning featherweight champion is open to sharing the octagon with ‘T-City.’
Unlike other potential opponents, Ortega’s fighting style is a night and day difference from Topuria’s. It would provide a nice contrast for fans, as the grappling specialist and boxing specialist would look to impose their will on the other.
Furthermore, Topuria is open to taking this fight, as he stated during a podcast appearance following Ortega’s dominant submission victory over Rodriguez in February.
Rematching a UFC featherweight legend
When discussing Topuria’s next opponent, you cannot forget to mention the man from whom he won the featherweight championship — Alexander Volkanovski.
After dropping two of three fights to Islam Makhachev, Volkanovski returned to the division to defend his strap against Topuria at UFC 298.
The Spaniard took down ‘Volk’ with a flurry of punches in the second round, earning a dominant knockout victory and immediately cementing Topuria’s place amongst the best in the division.
Though ‘Volk’ has been hush-hush about his upcoming plans, it makes sense for the champion to get an immediate rematch for the featherweight strap.
It’s also a crucial opportunity for Topuria, as he can prove to fight fans that his UFC 298 victory wasn’t a fluke. Putting ‘Volk’ down again would end all doubts on this front.
It’s one of the most likely avenues for the UFC to take and could provide an exciting build-up to the fight, especially if the title defense happens in Topuria’s home country.
Topuria and the UFC should choose Max Holloway
Then, there’s the BMF champion, Max Holloway. It’s no secret that Holloway and Topuria have considerable bad blood between them — one look at their social media feeds tells you all you need to know.
Since Holloway defeated Justin Gaethje for the BMF strap at UFC 300, Topuria has been clamoring for a shot at winning that belt from ‘Blessed.’
Topuria outright challenged Holloway to a match, promising to put his featherweight championship on the line if the Hawaii native was willing to do the same with his BMF belt.
To this point, Holloway has been hesitant about confirming that a champion vs. champion match is in the works, but he said soon after UFC 300 that he believes Topuria is the “most likely” next opponent for him.
Given their growing animosity and a potentially hostile environment in Spain, the idea of Holloway vs. Topuria stands above the rest of these possible matchups.
It would be a battle of gladiators, much akin to the Holloway-Gaethje war that unfolded at UFC 300. However, Topuria is at the peak of his powers right now, and the outcome may not be as favorable for the BMF champion this time around.
If both men get it their way, and Dana White obliges, a unification bout between the BMF titleholder and featherweight champion will be a front-runner for the fight of the night bonuses.