Ilia Topuria addresses potential Diego Lopes title clash after Max Holloway challenge: "He's always respectful with me"

Ilia Topuria, who's currently booked to defend his UFC featherweight title against Max Holloway, has chimed in on a possible fight against rising star Diego Lopes. 'El Matador' expressed his respect for Lopes, besides addressing other potential opponents.

A notable featherweight clash pits the unbeaten Movsar Evloev against former UFC bantamweight champion Aljamain Sterling. Evloev stands at No. 6 in the UFC featherweight rankings, while Sterling has bagged the No. 8 spot. The Evloev-Sterling featherweight matchup goes down at UFC 307 at the Delta Center in Salt Lake City, Utah, U.S.A., on Oct. 5, 2024.

Moreover, the fight many view as the number-one contender's matchup at featherweight is the much-awaited fight between the No. 3-ranked Brian Ortega and the No. 12-ranked Lopes. They were to clash at UFC 303 (June 2024), but Ortega's weight-cutting complications ruled him out. Lopes instead fought and defeated Dan Ige via unanimous decision at the event.

The UFC subsequently rescheduled Lopes to face Ortega at UFC 306 aka Riyadh Season Noche UFC. The Mexican Independence Day-themed event will transpire at the Sphere in Las Vegas, Nevada, U.S.A., on Sept. 14, 2024.

Speaking to MMA Junkie, Ilia Topuria seemed open to defending his title in a rematch against former champion Alexander Volkanovski, whom he bested via second-round KO to win the title in February. Regarding the Ortega-Lopes and Evloev-Sterling fights, he was asked which one would produce the next number-one contender. Topuria responded by stating:

"Of course, Brian Ortega and Diego Lopes. And I love the attitude that Diego Lopes brings. He's always respectful with me, so I like the attitude he has with me. If he wins, maybe he's the next one in the line. To be honest, I don't know. Maybe it's Volkanovski, maybe it's Diego Lopes, maybe it's Brian Ortega."

He added:

"But I don't care, like, it's gonna be worse for them. When they gonna get the call, they gonna notice that they gonna have to face me. It's gonna be a difficult night for them."

Check out Ilia Topuria's comments below (16:20):

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Ilia Topuria sends an eerie warning to Max Holloway ahead of UFC 308

The undefeated Ilia Topuria is scheduled to defend his UFC featherweight title against former UFC featherweight champion and current BMF champion Max Holloway. Holloway is the No. 2-ranked featherweight and is fresh off his BMF-title-winning fifth-round KO victory over Justin Gaethje in a lightweight bout at UFC 300 (April 2024).

The Topuria-Holloway featherweight bout has the UFC featherweight belt, not the BMF title, at stake. Their fight headlines UFC 308 at the Etihad Arena in Abu Dhabi, U.A.E., on Oct. 26, 2024.

Max Holloway is revered for his durability. The 32-year-old hasn't been knocked out in his long and storied MMA career. On that note, leading up to their UFC 308 fight, Ilia Topuria has consistently indicated that he'll be the first fighter to knock 'Blessed' out.

During his aforementioned interview with MMA Junkie, 'El Matador' ominously indicated that Holloway ought to don a helmet to protect himself in their fight. Reiterating his desire to knock him out, Topuria said:

"Well, the message for Max is I only have respect for him. But for the fight day, I recommend him to bring a helmet because he's going to need it." [22:48]