Did Ilia Topuria move up to lightweight to avoid Alexander Volkanovski rematch? Paddy Pimblett answers

UFC lightweight Paddy Pimblett recently claimed Ilia Topuria moved up to 155 to avoid a rematch against Alexander Volkanovski. Although 'El Matador' knocked out the featherweight champion in February 2024, the Brit believes the Georgian-Spaniard is scared of another scrap.

Earlier this year, Topuria announced that he is vacating his featherweight belt in the pursuit of the 155-pound gold. Although fans expected an Islam Makhachev superfight, UFC CEO Dana White recently announced that the Spaniard will face Charles Oliveira at UFC 317 for the vacant title.

Regarding Topuria's shift in weight class, Pimblett said this:

"I don’t think he beats [Alexander Volkanovski] if Volk hadn’t been knocked out three months previous. I think that’s one of the reasons why he did move to lightweight, because he didn’t want to have that rematch with Volk. Holloway has been fighting in the UFC since 21, he's now 33. He might not have been knocked out, but he was on the road to getting knocked out because of all the mad scraps he’s had."

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Ali Abdelaziz criticizes Charles Oliveira getting a title shot against Ilia Topuria

Islam Makhachev is scheduled to lock horns with welterweight champion Jack Della Maddalena, with the fight expected to happen later this year. The Dagestani vacated his lightweight title, leaving Ilia Topuria and Charles Oliveira fighting for it.

Makhachev's manager, Ali Abdelaziz, recently denounced 'Do Bronx' getting a title shot. The 47-year-old named Arman Tsarukyan and Justin Gaethje as deserving contenders than the former champ. In an interview with MMAJunkie, he said:

"Charles Oliveira is 2-2 in his last four. Gaethje is 3-1 in his last four. Gaethje gave up his title shot, stepped in at International Fight Week to fight Max Holloway. He knocked out Dustin Poirier. Dustin Poirier beats the number thirteen [ranked fighter] and gets a title shot. You tell me how is that? [Gaethje] is more deserving. I think even Arman is more deserving than Oliveira."

Check out Ali Abdelaziz's comments below (11:03):

About the author

Sunil holds a Bachelor of Science degree in visual communication. He started his professional career in 2023 and has previously worked with FirstSportz and Levitate Studios, among other organizations.

Sunil was drawn to MMA by Conor McGregor, especially the Irishman’s crossover boxing bout with Floyd Mayweather Jr. in 2017. His favorite fighter is Jorge Masvidal for his wild and unorthodox approach.

Surprisingly, ‘The Notorious’ and ‘Gamebred’ do not find a place in his Mt. Rushmore, which includes Chuck Liddell, Anderson Silva, Alex Pereira, Daniel Cormier, and Khabib Nurmagomedov. He feels ONE Championship’s Rodtang Jitmuangnon has the ability to succeed in the UFC due to his power.

Sunil is of the opinion that the UFC is not doing enough to prevent eye pokes and does not mind soccer kicks in MMA.

In his free time, he likes to watch anime and films in general. He’s also a boxing historian, having gotten into the sport watching videos of fighters like Sugar Ray Leonard and Roberto Duran.

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Edited by Sunil Krishnan