Ilia Topuria gave UFC fans a surreal visual when he became the first man to knock out Max Holloway at UFC 308 last Saturday.
After two close rounds, Topuria eventually overwhelmed Holloway, a former featherweight champion with several title defenses. Holloway was the clear-cut contender for Topuria after “El Matador” knocked out Alexander Volkanovski, ending his dominant reign at 145 pounds. Volkanovski had suffered back-to-back KO losses (including a lightweight title challenge against Islam Makhachev), so not getting an immediate rematch was the proper move for Volkanovski to recover.
But now that Volkanovski has gone over eight months without a fight, he is the only opponent for Topuria’s next title defense bid.
Recent featherweight division history shows that champions tend to remain the champ for awhile and make several title defenses, outside of Conor McGregor‘s win over Jose Aldo and subsequent move up to lightweight. Aldo effectively passed the torch to Holloway, who beat him twice, and then Holloway passed it onto Volkanovski. Volkanovski is 3-0 with two decisive wins over Holloway.
Aldo was given two consecutive cracks at Holloway, and then Holloway was given two fights in a row against Volkanovski.
While Topuria defended his title over Holloway in a bout that made perfect sense, in keeping with the theme of dominant featherweight champions, Volkanovski should not have to win against a contender before receiving a rematch.
After Topuria’s KO over Holloway, Volkanovski entered the Octagon, and he and Topuria had a respectful exchange. Topuria told Volkanovski, “We’re going to do it again, you deserve that…If someone deserves it, it’s him.”
🗣️ “Si quelqu’un le mérite, c’est bien lui.”
Ça sent la revanche entre Topuria et Volkanovski ! 🔥#UFC308pic.twitter.com/0xZfbHnWPa
— La Sueur (@LaSueur_off) October 26, 2024
Volkanovski won 13 straight fights at featherweight before fighting Topuria, who finished him in the second round. Volkanovski had only fought four months prior to the bout, being knocked out by Makhachev at lightweight.
So not only would Volkanovski’s strength of schedule indicate he should get a rematch with Topuria, he would be rested heading into the bout, adding intrigue as to whether Topuria can replicate his first performance against the Australian.
Diego Lopes, currently ranked No. 3 at featherweight, would be a fresh matchup for Topuria. Honestly, he should not have to fight again either before receiving a title shot after his unanimous decision win over former title challenger Brian Ortega at UFC Noche. If the UFC determines he needs one more fight, then Holloway would be the obvious choice.
The argument can certainly be made that Lopes deserves a title shot next – but after Volkanovski gets his due. Lopes’s five-fight winning streak features wins over Ortega, Dan Ige, Sodiq Yussuf, Pat Sabatini and Gaven Tucker.
Dustin Poirier floated the idea of welcoming Topuria back to lightweight for his retirement bout in a post on X – either that or fighting Holloway in a trilogy bout. Undoubtedly, Poirier and Topuria clash would feature incredible boxing displays. That said, Topuria has work to do in his own division first: a rematch with Volkanovski, a potential future date with Lopes, and potential contenders in former bantamweight champion Aljamain Sterling, Movsar Evloev, Yair Rodriguez and Arnold Allen.
Depending on how the rest of the featherweight division shakes out, Topuria likely should need to win two more fights, at least, before entertaining the idea of a lightweight showdown.
Poirier has other amazing options for his last dance: Holloway, Justin Gaethje or Conor McGregor could all be options.
Things are getting interesting at featherweight, with some contenders up and coming. While those fights need to be sorted out, Volkanovski is the right man for the next title shot. And it’s a comfort to hardcore MMA fans that Topuria appears to agree.
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