After just two title fights, Ilia Topuria has decided to vacate the featherweight belt and move up to the lightweight division.
As a result, Dana White has given us an enticing title fight at UFC 314 to determine who the new 145 lb champion will be. Alexander Volkanovski will try to regain his crown against up-and-comer Diego Lopes, who has won five fights in a row coming into this one. Volkanovski has been on the opposite trajectory of his counterpart, losing three of his last four fights. This fight is hard to call, and it will be interesting to see how these two match up.
As for Topuria, it remains to be seen if Dana White will give him a championship fight at 155 lbs right off the bat. It seems like the fight to make, as Islam Makhachev has gone through the entire division practically unscathed, winning five straight title fights. Topuria seems like the biggest threat to Makhachev with his one-punch knockout power.
It would be interesting to see how Topuria looks 10 lbs heavier, but regardless, this would set up a mouth-watering matchup between the striker and grappler. Between them, they have one combined loss and seven championship fight wins. Topuria has left the featherweight division, but has he bit off more than he can chew? This all remains to be seen. For now, we can look forward to crowning a new UFC featherweight champion.
