Ilia Topuria explains why he had to stop making featherweight cut: ‘I didn’t want to suffer anymore’

UFC 308 Ceremonial Weigh-in — Ilia Topuria | Photo by Chris Unger/Zuffa LLC

Ilia Topuria’s featherweight days could be done for good.

“El Matador” went on a legendary run at 145 pounds, going undefeated and capturing UFC gold with a stunning knockout of Alexander Volkanovski in February 2024. Eight months later, Topuria pulled off another incredible feat by knocking out Max Holloway, becoming the first fighter ever to finish Holloway via strikes.

Having compiled a lengthy list of featherweight accolades before the age of 28, Topuria now takes on an entirely new challenge as he prepares to fight for a vacant lightweight title at UFC 317 on June 28, when he faces Charles Oliveira. To book that opportunity, Topuria had to vacate his 145-pound belt.

Given how difficult it was getting for Topuria to cut down to that weight, he has no regrets.

“When you’re cutting weight and you can’t eat or drink water, you don’t care about any material things,” Topuria told ESPN Deportes (Spanish translation via Championship Rounds). “They can give you bags of money, they can give you all the cars you want, you don’t care at all. If they give you this little glass of water and say, ‘You can drink this and it won’t increase your weight,’ I’ll give you whatever it takes in that moment. I’m so low. I feel terrible. It’s like sitting naked in the middle of the street. I feel terrible. So I didn’t want to suffer anymore. I didn’t want to go through that.

“I’d already done it throughout my career. I’d already achieved my dream, which was to become a world champion. I had to close that chapter because I didn’t want to suffer anymore. Because honestly, it’s like living in the desert and I wanted to live on the beach.”

Removing a grueling weight cut from his life isn’t the only reason Topuria is moving to 155 pounds.

When Topuria made the decision to chase the lightweight title, it resided around the waist of Islam Makhachev, the No. 1 Pound-for-Pound fighter on the planet. Topuria is content to be fighting for the title regardless of opponent and insists there is nothing personal between him and Makhachev, but his initial plan was to beat Makhachev to take his belt.

“Why did I want to fight Islam?” Topuria said. “For one simple fact, and it’s the same with Volkanovski. If you beat someone and take the title from them at 145, it had to be Volk. It had to be Volk for me at that point because he had the most history in the division. He was the one who dominated everyone. He was the greatest.

“It’s the same for me with Islam. I wanted to fight him simply because he had dominated everyone. So, who’s beating everyone? Islam. Well, I want to fight him because then the prize is much bigger.”

That said, there was one aspect of a potential fight with Makhachev that rubbed Topuria the wrong way.

In interviews, Makhachev and his team were reluctant to put Topuria over as a worthy challenger, insisting that he pick up a win at lightweight before challenging for the title. He also didn’t appreciate the suggestion that Makhachev would not vacate his title before moving on to a fight with new welterweight champion Jack Della Maddalena (it was later announced Makhachev would vacate the title for it to be contested at UFC 317).

Regardless, Topuria is now one win away from lightweight gold, an opportunity he believes was waiting for him regardless of what Makhachev or anyone else had to say.

“They tried to make it seem important,” Topuria said of Makhachev and his team. “The attitude they have is like they invented the sport, you know? It’s, like, guys, sit back, enjoy the sun wherever you are, and do what you’re told to do. When they said that, I was like, ‘What are they making up?’ It was only two days before everything would eventually come out. What are they talking about? But everyone will realize the truth and look at what happened.

“‘I’m not going to vacate the title even if I move up to 170.’ ‘No, Ilia has to fight someone to earn a title shot,’ Now, look. He’s moved up, he vacated the title, and I’m fighting directly for the belt.”

Ilia Topuria explains why he had to stop making featherweight cut: ‘I didn’t want to suffer anymore’

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