Ilia Topuria is still waiting to find out who his next opponent will be after moving up to the lightweight division.
After impressive victories over Alexander Volkanovski and Max Holloway, where he claimed the two biggest wins in the featherweight division, Topuria decided to vacate his featherweight title.
Since then, Topuria has been hinting at a possible fight with current lightweight champion Islam Makhachev, even though Makhachev seems more interested in fighting Justin Gaethje.
Despite the excitement surrounding Topuria`s debut at 155lbs, lightweight contender Michael Chandler has accused him of exaggerating his weight.
Topuria Accuses Oliveira and Makhachev of Avoiding a Fight
Chandler isn`t the only one making accusations. Topuria claims that both Makhachev and former champion Charles Oliveira are ducking him while he waits on the sidelines.
With Makhachev appearing uninterested in fighting Topuria at the moment, the 28-year-old briefly turned his attention to Charles Oliveira, and the two exchanged words online.
However, Oliveira has made it clear that he is not interested in fighting Topuria and wants the UFC to arrange a rematch between him and Makhachev.
“All my training is focused on Islam or Charles because I don’t see any other opponents,” Topuria stated to the media at a press conference in Spain this Thursday.
“Neither of them seems to dare (to fight me). These are the symptoms of fear, we all know that, but it’s normal, I’d be scared too,” the former featherweight champion added.
Ilia Topuria Introduces New Nickname For His Lightweight Chapter
As he prepares for his permanent move to lightweight, Topuria announced that he is entering this new phase with ‘a new identity’ and will be changing his ‘El Matador’ nickname.
During an event earlier this week in Toledo, Spain, where a street was named ‘Paseo Ilia Topuria’, the 28-year-old revealed his new nickname.
Topuria will now be known as ‘La Leyenda’, which means ‘The Legend’, as he aims to continue his ascent in the sport where he has already become a major star.
‘La Leyenda’ hopes that his next fight and opponent will be announced soon. Despite long-standing requests for the UFC to host an event in Spain, it seems unlikely to happen next, and Topuria appears to have given up on pursuing it for now.
Benedict Kingsley