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UFC CEO Dana White has confirmed that Ilia Topuria decided to vacate the featherweight title and move up to lightweight, citing a desire for new challenges and difficulty in cutting weight. However, despite Topuria’s ambitions, there’s no guarantee that he will face Islam Makhachev next for the UFC lightweight title.
According to White, Topuria made it clear that his time at 145 pounds was over.
“No, he did that,” White explained regarding Topuria relinquishing his title. “He said, ‘I’ve done everything I can do here, I’m ready to move up’ and he vacated it. He said, ‘I shouldn’t be holding up anybody’s opportunities.’ I respect when guys do that.”
Topuria’s dominant victories over Alexander Volkanovski and Max Holloway cemented his legacy at featherweight, but White believes that weight-cutting struggles also played a role in his decision. His departure from featherweight set up a new title fight at UFC 314, where Alexander Volkanovski will face rising contender Diego Lopes for the vacant championship.
While Topuria has openly called for a lightweight title fight against Islam Makhachev, White has not confirmed that matchup.
“There’s still other possibilities,” White said. “A lot of shit going on right now, otherwise I would have said [what his fight was going to be].”
Despite his impressive resume, Topuria’s lightweight debut remains uncertain, and the UFC has yet to finalize any plans for his next opponent.
Following Topuria’s move, some questioned whether the UFC was changing its policy on champions moving divisions without defending their titles. Diego Lopes even suggested that the UFC was preventing fighters from holding belts in multiple weight classes.
White dismissed that claim, explaining that each case is evaluated individually.
“Unless you think you can defend your title,” White said. “Listen, if there’s a guy that thinks he can do it and wants to defend both belts and has accomplished all these great things, I would have no problem with it. You’re going to be busy.”
While White has previously hesitated to allow double champions, he acknowledges that some fighters—like Jon Jones—earned their move to a higher weight class by dominating their division for years.
With Topuria’s move to 155 pounds, the lightweight division gains another elite contender, but his immediate path remains uncertain as the UFC weighs its options.