Ilia Topuria changing nickname is "super fuc**ng weird but "a good thing" says MMA analyst 

MMA analyst Luke Thomas has shared his thoughts on the news that Ilia Topuria has changed his nickname. The Georgian-Spaniard previously went by the moniker 'El Matador'.

Earlier this year, Topuria shocked fans when he announced he has relinquished the featherweight title in order to step up to lightweight and challenge at the top of the division. While his first fight at 155 pounds is yet to be confirmed, it is believed he will either challenge Islam Makhachev for the title or fight a top contender to stake his claim.

Alongside the news of him making the switch to lightweight, the 28-year-old has now made headlines this week after revealing he no longer wanted to be nicknamed 'El Matador'.

Instead, Topuria wants to now be known as 'La Leyenda' for his upcoming run in the new division, which translates to 'The Legend' in English.

Check out Ilia Topuria's comments below:

Following the news of his switch, MMA analyst Luke Thomas recently shared his thoughts on the decision during an episode of his Morning Kombat podcast. According to Thomas, while it is a "weird" decision, he can also see the benefits. He explained:

"I'm not going to say I like this because I think it's super f*cking weird but I think it's a good thing. First, he's done super ballsy sh*t like this before, calling himself a UFC champ on his Instagram before fighting the guy...The second thing I'm going to say is either way someone is going to feast here...It's another way of upping the anti here a little bit...Thirdly, let's say he loses, the amount of f*cking vitriol and absolute dancing on his grave that is going to happen would make it an all-timer."

Check out Luke Thomas' comments regarding Ilia Topuria below (1:25:30):

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Daniel Cormier issues bold prediction regarding Ilia Topuria selling out the Santiago Bernabeu

Daniel Cormier recently shared his thoughts on Ilia Topuria potentially headlining a UFC event in Spain.

Over recent months, Topuria has been calling for a UFC event to be held at the Santiago Bernabeu, the home stadium of his favorite soccer club, Real Madrid. The stadium has a capacity of 78,297 and was recently renovated with a retractable roof.

There aren't many fighters who could sell out a complete stadium, however, Cormier believes Topuria could do it. Speaking in a video on his YouTube channel, 'DC' said:

"Very few people can bring a fight to their country and sell it out. Ilia Topuria is one of those guys. If they were to go to Spain, they could sell out the Bernabeu, which is a huge stadium... I feel confident that if he were to fight there, he could sell that out. I think he's that type of star."

Check out Daniel Cormier's comments below: