Ilia Topuria explains why he had to stop making featherweight cut: ‘I didn’t want to suffer anymore’

Ilia Topuria`s run in the featherweight division may have come to a permanent end.

Known as “El Matador,” Topuria achieved legendary status at 145 pounds, remaining undefeated and claiming the UFC championship with a spectacular knockout of Alexander Volkanovski in February 2024. Just eight months later, Topuria accomplished another remarkable feat, becoming the first fighter to finish Max Holloway with strikes.

Having accumulated significant accolades in the featherweight division before reaching the age of 28, Topuria is now embracing a completely new challenge. He is preparing to compete for the vacant lightweight title at UFC 317 on June 28, where he is scheduled to face Charles Oliveira. To secure this opportunity, Topuria was required to relinquish his 145-pound belt.

Topuria expressed no regret about leaving the division, especially considering the immense difficulty he faced in making the featherweight limit.

Explaining his decision, Topuria told ESPN Deportes (via translation): “When you`re cutting weight and unable to eat or drink water, material possessions become utterly meaningless… You could be offered bags of money, any car you want, and you simply wouldn`t care. If someone offered you a tiny glass of water right then and guaranteed it wouldn`t add to your weight, you`d give anything for it in that moment. I feel so depleted, absolutely miserable. It`s like being completely exposed and vulnerable… Consequently, I no longer wanted to endure that suffering. I didn`t want to go through it again. I had already pushed myself through it throughout my career and achieved my dream of becoming a world champion. I needed to close that chapter because the suffering was too great. Honestly, it felt like surviving in a desert, and I desired the feeling of living by the beach.”

However, escaping a grueling weight cut was not the only factor driving Topuria`s move to 155 pounds.

When Topuria initially decided to pursue the lightweight title, it was held by Islam Makhachev, widely considered the top pound-for-pound fighter. While Topuria states he is content fighting for the title regardless of the opponent and insists there`s no personal animosity towards Makhachev, his original plan was specifically to defeat Makhachev for the belt.

Topuria elaborated on why he wanted to face Makhachev: “It was for one simple reason, and it`s the same as with Volkanovski. If you`re going to defeat someone and take the title from them at 145, it had to be Volk at that point because he possessed the most historical significance in the division. He had dominated everyone; he was the greatest. It`s the identical reasoning for me with Islam. I wanted to fight him purely because he had dominated everyone. So, who is defeating everyone? Islam. Therefore, I wanted to fight him because the potential prize and challenge were significantly larger.”

That said, one particular aspect of a potential fight with Makhachev did rub Topuria the wrong way.

Topuria was notably irritated by comments from Makhachev and his team in interviews, where they seemed hesitant to acknowledge him as a worthy challenger, suggesting he needed a win at lightweight before earning a title shot. He also disliked the initial insinuation that Makhachev might not vacate his title if he pursued a fight against the new welterweight champion (though it was later confirmed Makhachev would indeed vacate the title for the fight contested at UFC 317).

Regardless of the prior discussions, Topuria is now just one victory away from securing lightweight gold, an opportunity he believes was destined for him regardless of anything said by Makhachev or anyone else.

Commenting on the attitude from Makhachev`s camp, Topuria stated: “They attempted to make themselves seem important… Their attitude is as if they invented the sport, you know? It`s like, guys, just relax wherever you are and do what you`re instructed. When they were saying those things, I thought, `What are they even fabricating?` This was only two days before everything ultimately materialized as it did. But everyone will come to realize the truth, and look at what occurred. They declared, `I`m not going to vacate the title even if I move up to 170.` They said, `No, Ilia has to fight someone to earn a title shot.` Now, observe. He has moved up, he vacated the title, and I am fighting directly for the belt.”