Ilia Topuria’s star had never soared as high as it did when he knocked out Alexander Volkanovski to become UFC featherweight champion.
He was Spanish royalty in MMA but the last couple of months has seen him handle the next step questionably.
Topuria’s next move is not yet known and he appears to have lost momentum in the public eye. He insisted the BMF belt should be on the line if he is to agree to fight Max Holloway and appears to be reluctant to make his next move.
It is a point Daniel Cormier, former two weight champion now commentator, has picked up on.
‘I think Ilia Topuria needs to come right out and say, “Hey, I want Max Holloway on this date,” Cormier explained on his YouTube channel.
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UFC featherweight champion Ilia Topuria ‘is not coming off great’, says Daniel Cormier
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Max Holloway knocked out Justin Gaethje to win the BMF title at UFC 300
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‘Then it would be on Max. Because now, Max is the guy — and sure he has the ‘BMF’ title — but he wants the featherweight championship. Ilia has that. When Ilia says, “I want this fight on this date,” Max will have to say, ‘OK,’ or he will say no and they will move on.
“And then Ilia Topuria, at that point, can then start to go, “I don’t want to fight him. He had his chance, he could’ve did it then, he didn’t want to play by the rules.”
‘He has to make a statement saying, “This is what I want as the champ,” and then put the ball in Max’s court to deny it. But right now, it’s not coming off great, because he’s batting away all of these guys with no clear idea of who else there is.’
Cormier went on to add: ‘Ilia Topuria is the champ, and as the champ, at times, you have some say into who you’re going to fight, when you’re going to fight him, when you’re ready, and all of that. I don’t know, though, if he has as much say in this as he thinks he does.
‘Max Holloway to me is clearly the guy, [but] if not, [it’s] Alexander Volkanovski. Max told me that. Him and I spoke personally, and he goes, “I thought Volk was going to get a rematch. How in the world does he not get a rematch?” This is coming from the guy that’s waiting for the title fight.
‘But he recognizes, “Look, man, this dude beat me three times, long reigning champion, if anyone deserves an immediate rematch, it’s this guy.”‘
A fight with Holloway would be a blockbuster, as would a rematch against Volkanovski, though the Australian’s stock has been damaged by three defeats in a row, albeit two against Islam Makhachev up a weight class.
Topuria recently responded to Holloway with a lengthy message on X, writing: ‘The only thing questionable about me is whether I finish you by KO or submission.
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Cormier thinks Topuria should have handled his post-title win better in lining up a fight
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Holloway recently knocked out Justin Gaethje to win the BMF belt at UFC 300
‘I just beat the guy that beat you not once, not twice, but three times. You now have the one thing that keeps you relevant and that would grant you a money fight, the BMF belt. I no longer fight for money but for legacy.
‘Winning that belt while holding my title will cement me as the first. The first to hold both belts. The first to knock out Volk and what most certainly will happen when we fight, the first one to put you to sleep. Something to calm you down is this: God doesn’t shame anyone.
‘You will have a worthy defeat against a champion who will be remembered for eternity. I decide who, when, and where. If you don’t like the terms I’m sure Ortega will oblige.’
And ‘Blessed’ responded to Jim Rome: ‘That’s not a very ‘BMF’ way to say it. A ‘BMF’ wouldn’t say, ‘I’m not going to fight this guy unless…’ That’s kind of un-‘BMF.’ Doesn’t sound ‘BMF’ the way he’s trying to demand it and saying, ‘I’m not going to fight.’
‘A ‘BMF’ fights whatever, fights whoever, whenever, any weight, any time, and that’s not a tone of a ‘BMF.’
Holloway may need some recovery time from his incredible win over Justin Gaethje at UFC 300, but the fan favourite would no doubt leap at the chance to win his old belt back and a showdown in Spain later this year would be a massive event.
