Former UFC featherweight champion Ilia Topuria is all set to make his highly anticipated lightweight return. 

A few days ago, UFC CEO Dana White revealed that Topuria is content with his accomplishments as a featherweight, and now, he’s ready to challenge himself against the bigger guys at lightweight. 

White further stated that Topuria himself wanted to relinquish the belt because he didn’t want to hold back anybody’s opportunity to fight for the vacant title while he is chasing double-champ glory. 

In search of an undisputed champion, the UFC announced former featherweight champion, Alexander Volkanovski’s much-awaited return against a new and fierce contender, Diego Lopes, at UFC 314 in Miami. 

Although Dana White revealed Topuria’s inclusion in the lightweight division, he didn’t disclose the opponent. Many are assuming that the current champion Islam Makhachev will welcome him, but I assure you, the options are plenty, and they are similarly striking matchups. 

So, Sidekick Boxing brings you “Top 03 Opponents” for Ilia Topuria’s lightweight return since the Jai Herbert fight. 

1. Ilia Topuria vs. Dustin Poirier.

Dustin Poirier blessed us with countless wars in his outstanding career as a fighter. But sadly, he’s very close to leaving his gloves inside the octagon. 

He primarily teased retirement after losing to Islam Makhachev at UFC 302, in June 2024, but apparently, “The Diamond” is ready for one last dance before leaving this sport. 

Every time Dustin Poirier fights, the ambiance inside the arena goes wild, and for the last time, he wants to provide this feeling to the people of his hometown in Lafayette, Louisiana. 

Dustin was proposed with a few up-and-comer names, but he’s only interested in fighting legends, and who can be more legendary than former champ Ilia Topuria?

It would not only make Dustin’s last fight more impressive, Ilia Topuria will also have another high-profile name on his resume that would make his run even more impressive. If “El Matador” secures a victory against another legend like Dustin Poirier, that will make his resume more impressive, and every doubt before facing Islam Makhachev will be cleared. 

Recently, Ilia Topuria appreciated Dustin Poirier’s ability as a fighter which might be a hint of a future fight between them.

2. Ilia Topuria vs. Islam Makhachev.

This is the most popular possibility. Everybody wants to see the pound-for-pound number one, Islam Makhachev’s highly anticipated lightweight title defense against Ilia Topuria. 

After Ilia Topuria profoundly knocked out Alexander Volkanovski to win the title and successfully broke Max Holloway’s legendary chin to retain the belt, him vs Makhachev super fight became a very real possibility. 

The majority of the fans, mostly casuals were captivated by this fight, but hardcore wanted something different. Some argued that Ilia Topuria had competition left in the featherweight division like Diego Lopes and Movsar Evloev, and ignoring them would have been an injustice to the division. 

Why injustice? Because as per tradition, a champion can only challenge another champion after cleaning out the division. The alternative way is if the champion vacates the championship belt and leaves the division.

Since Ilia Topuria didn’t want to fight emerging featherweight contenders, he thought the latter would be a much better option for his career. 

However, this fight becomes even more interesting because of Makhachev’s triumphant reign. He has defeated almost everyone besides Justin Gaethje and Arman Tsarukyan, and nobody is currently looking exceptional enough to beat him. 

Because Ilia Topuria knocked out two legendary back-to-back, he’s looking capable of defeating such a dominant fighter like Islam Makhachev. If someone could do it, it’s “The El Matador”

3. Ilia Topuria vs. Charles Oliveira.

If the Islam Makhachev fight and the Dustin Poirier fight don’t come to fruition, then former lightweight champion Charles Oliveira will be more than interested to greet him inside the octagon. 

For many, this fight would serve as the perfect challenge for Ilia Topuria before fighting the champion. 

Charles Oliveira is a former champion, he defeated Dustin Poirier and Justin Gaethje both, and he’s already a legend. The style difference also makes this fight really interesting, because both fighters possess robust amounts of punches and possibly score a knockout at any moment. 

Other than the striking, the grappling exchanges are also going to be a treat to watch, because both of them are highly offensive on the ground. If there’s a remote chance of getting a submission, one of them is surely taking it. 

There are other possible match-ups for Ilia Topuria that the UFC can look forward to, one of them is Justin Gaethje after his recent victory over Rafael Fiziev at UFC 313. Another fun fight that might not happen is Ilia Topuria vs. Paddy Pimblett if “The Baddy” triumphs against Michael Chandler at UFC 314. 

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