Conor McGregor and two other huge names eyed by Ilia Topuria before potential fight with Islam Makhachev for No.1 P4P position

Ilia Topuria has set some lofty goals for himself as the new UFC featherweight champion. The Georgian-Spanish fighter recently opened up about his fight plans going forward and revealed he's targeting a fight against Conor McGregor and two others before facing Islam Makhachev to become the UFC's pound-for-pound king.

Topuria recently defeated Alexander Volkanovski at UFC 298 earlier this month at the Honda Center in Anaheim, California. While many backed the Australian to push Topuria to his limits, 'El Matador' finished him via a brutal second-round knockout and took home the 145-pound strap.

Now Topuria has his sights on becoming the No.1-ranked pound-for-pound fighter in the UFC by defeating Makhachev, who currently holds the top spot. However, Topuria wants to face 'The Notorious' and two other high-profile stars before fighting the reigning lightweight champion.

In a recent interview with Eurosport (Espanol), the Georgian-Spanish fighter outlined his plans and said:

"The three rivals that I would most like in the next fight are Conor McGregor, Max Holloway, or Sean O'Malley. I want to fight again before the end of the year, and then the next target would be Islam Makhachev. That fight would be the one that would bring me closest to number one in the pound-for-pound ranking. I see myself as a double champion." [Translated via Google Translate]

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Max Holloway believes Ilia Topuria will rematch Alexander Volkanovski next

Max Holloway recently revealed that he believes Ilia Topuria must give Alexander Volkanovski an immediate rematch. 'Blessed' responded to a fan on social media and explained why he didn't wait for the Topuria fight instead of accepting a BMF title fight against Justin Gaethje at UFC 300.

After Topuria won the 145-strap against Volkanovski, Holloway reacted to MMA reporter Luke Thomas' X post naming Yair Rodriguez as the next featherweight title challenger. Holloway posted the 'Baffled Guy' meme with former NBA star Nick Young, prompting a fan to comment that he "should have waited" for the Topuria fight at UFC 298.

The former UFC featherweight champion then explained why he didn't wait and claimed that he expected Volkanovski to get an immediate rematch if he lost the title. He wrote:

"Never waited for anything always earned it. I always believed if Volk was to lose the title, he'll prolly [probably get an] immediate rematch anyway."