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A UFC Hall of Famer recently weighed in on Ilia Topuria's move up to lightweight and whether it was a wise decision. He noted that 'El Matador' could have remained at featherweight and continued building on his legacy rather than moving up to 155 pounds.
Topuria relinquished his featherweight championship due to weight-cutting issues and immediately set his sights on pursuing double champ status. Although he has become a star for the promotion, it remains unclear whether he will receive an immediate lightweight title shot against Islam Makhachev.
During his latest appearance on OverDogs Podcast, UFC Hall of Famer Matt Serra expressed his excitement to see Topuria competing at lightweight, but questioned his decision. The former welterweight champion mentioned that he believes 'El Matador's' move is too soon because there are still appealing matchups for him at featherweight:
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"I think it's going to be interesting to see him at 155 [pounds]. I would have liked to see him at 145 [pounds] a little bit more because I feel he had some big wins obviously with Volkanovski and Max Holloway. But I think it might be a little premature to go up. Not that he couldn't do it, I'm sure he can do it, but why not be a savage and clear out that division even more?
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Check out Matt Serra's comments regarding Ilia Topuria below (1:25:30):
Matt Serra names fighter he would have liked to have seen Ilia Topuria fight
Matt Serra added that Ilia Topuria should have remained at featherweight because he would have liked to have seen him take on the next contenders in line.
During the aforementioned podcast appearance, Serra named Diego Lopes in particular and mentioned that he believes he would have been an appealing matchup for Topuria:
"You got Diego Lopes, you got other guys down there that are dangerous you know what I mean? I don't know, I would have liked to have seen him fight [at featherweight] a little more." [1:25:51]
