UFC Veteran Gives Surprising Take On Ilia Topuria Moving To Lightweight

Ilia Topuria explains the challenges of bringing a UFC event to Spain and why it might not happen as easily as fans hope

Ilia Topuria

With each passing day, new theories about Ilia Topuria’s lightweight move are circulating online. After he vacated his featherweight title, Topuria has been rumored to face Islam Makhachev for a superfight. However, in a surprising theory, UFC veteran Chael Sonnen dropped a bombshell. According to Sonnen, Topuria never vacated the title. Instead, he was stripped off!

In a recent statement, Sonnen shed light on the Ilia Topuria situation. He stated that the UFC had told the UFC fans about him vacating the title. But a closer look at what happened afterwards points towards the ‘El Matador’ being stripped of his title.

“They’re trying to insist to us that Ilia Topuria vacated the title. I’m willing to play along, but they only vacated the title because they say he vacated the title. If you see the actions of what actually happened, he was stripped,” said Sonnen.

As of now, there has been no official confirmation about Sonnen’s claims. Both Dana White and Ilia Topuria have been on the same page about the featherweight title being vacated. However, even then, there is an air of uncertainty surrounding the future of Topuria in the lightweight division. Thankfully, the news of Islam Makhachev starting his fight camp will be somewhat of a relief.

Ilia Topuria Fight Rumors Sparked As Islam Makhachev Begins His Fight Camp

Ilia Topuria continues his rant on Islam Makhachev, insisting the lightweight champion is “afraid” to step into the cage with him

Islam Makhachev and Ilia Topuria

Islam Makhachev has started his fight camp. The latest update on the Dagestani from Alvaro Colmenero made ripples in the UFC realm. With a lot of back-and-forth happening with the lightweight title fight, this news might prove that the Topuria vs. Makhachev bout is on. After all, at the moment, this theory is the only one that makes perfect sense.

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Although Makhachev is unwilling to fight Topuria and wants to move up to welterweight, that cannot happen as of now, as Belal Muhammad is the champion now. He also has his title fight next against Jack Della Maddalena. Thus, Makhachev’s entering a fight camp now means he is slated to fight somewhere in June or July. With speculations going wild, it now remains to be seen what plans the UFC comes up with next.