Ariel Helwani makes eye-opening remark on why Ilia Topuria's next fight must be announced before UFC 314

Ariel Helwani recently weighed in on why Ilia Topuria’s next fight should be made official before UFC 314 takes place. Topuria’s reign as the featherweight champion will officially come to an end when Alexander Volkanovski and Diego Lopes square off in the main event of UFC 314 this weekend at the Kaseya Center in Miami, Florida.

In February, 'La Leyenda' chose to vacate his UFC 145-pound title and make a permanent move to the lightweight division. However, no official details have emerged regarding his next opponent.

Early speculation suggested that Topuria might receive an immediate title shot against reigning champion Islam Makhachev. However, those rumors were quickly put to rest after the Dagestani’s team dismissed the possibility of the matchup.

During a recent episode of The Ariel Helwani Show, the veteran MMA journalist emphasized that the UFC should address the uncertainty surrounding Topuria’s status ahead of this Saturday’s pay-per-view event. Helwani noted that the upcoming Volkanovski vs. Lopes matchup carries the feel of an interim title fight, given the lack of clarity regarding the undefeated Spaniard’s future:

"What bothers me about this card is that there's... I feel like the UFC needs to clarify the Ilia Topuria situation by Saturday. This title fight happening without any sort of resolution as to what his next step is, is weird to me. Do you know what I mean? Like, if they come out on Friday and be like, 'It's Ilia versus Islam.'"

He added:

"Okay, now I understand why he vacated the title. It makes sense. If we get nothing, I feel like this will feel like an interim title for some reason... It just seems weird to me that this title fight is happening and we don't know what he's doing by now."

Check out Ariel Helwani's comments below (1:46:35):

‘La Leyenda’ last competed at UFC 308 in October, where he secured a knockout victory over Max Holloway, successfully defending his featherweight title for the first time since capturing it with a stoppage win over Volkanovski at UFC 298.

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UFC addresses broadcast leak involving Ilia Topuria’s next opponent

During the Spanish-language broadcast of UFC Vegas 105 last Saturday, a lower-third graphic appeared on screen, apparently leaking that former lightweight champion Charles Oliveira will be Ilia Topuria’s next opponent. A translation of the on-screen text indicated:

"Ilia Topuria moves up in weight class and faces Charles Oliveira. The Spaniard will make his lightweight debut."

However, the UFC promptly responded to the broadcast slip and clarified to MMA journalist Alex Behunin that the announcement was "a mistake."

Check out Alex Behunin's post below: