'%20x='0'%20y='0'%20height='100%25'%20width='100%25'%20%0A%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20xlink%3Ahref='data:image/jpg;base64,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'%3E%3C/image%3E%3C/svg%3E)
Ilia Topuria’s coach recently spoke out on whether the UFC pressured him to relinquish the featherweight title. 'La Leyenda' will officially vacate his 145-pound crown when Alexander Volkanovski and Diego Lopes square off for the title in the main event of UFC 314 this Saturday, marking his full-time move to the lightweight division.
Although Topuria has claimed that the UFC assured him an immediate title shot against reigning lightweight champion Islam Makhachev, he has yet to receive official confirmation on whether the Dagestani will indeed be his next opponent.
Amid ongoing speculation about who the undefeated Spaniard will face next, several MMA pundits have suggested that the UFC may be shifting away from allowing fighters to hold titles in two divisions simultaneously. According to that narrative, Topuria was forced to vacate his featherweight belt in order to pursue a run at lightweight.
Trending
Addressing the situation in a recent interview with Submission Radio, Topuria’s coach Jorge Climent weighed in:
Get the latest updates on One Championship Rankings at Sportskeeda and more
"I think they [the UFC] do disagree with continuing in another weight [class]."
Climent also offered a measured response to the Spanish-language broadcast of UFC Vegas 105, which appeared to leak graphics suggesting that former lightweight champion Charles Oliveira would be Topuria’s next opponent:
"That's crazy. Maybe this is a sign, I don't know. We hope something like this happens sometime. We don't know what is going to happen in the future, but we want something like this — or ideally, the real thing. We want to the fight for the belt, but Oliveira's fight is a good fight too."
Check out Jorge Climent's comments below (4:32):
Ariel Helwani believes UFC should confirm Ilia Topuria's next fight before UFC 314 kicks off
During a recent episode of The Ariel Helwani Show, the veteran MMA journalist stressed the importance of the UFC clarifying Ilia Topuria’s next opponent before UFC 314 this weekend.
Helwani pointed out that the upcoming clash between Alexander Volkanovski and Diego Lopes feels somewhat hollow without a clear understanding of what lies ahead for 'La Leyenda':
"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):
