Ilia Topuria announces returning to 'El Matador' for moniker after 'La Layenda' fails to make an impression, fans react: "Much needed"

Ilia Topuria is ditching the nickname 'La Leyenda' and returning to his original moniker 'El Matador' as he awaits confirmation on his next opponent, with a fight date set and signed. The undefeated Spanish-Georgian fighter, fresh off his dominant win over Max Holloway and his exit from the featherweight division, had hoped to kick off his lightweight journey with a rebrand.

Check out the X post below:

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However, the new name didn’t land well with the fans. 'La Leyenda' seemingly lacked the spark that 'El Matador' carried throughout his rise to the top. Several fans took to X to react to the update, writing:

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"El matador is better anyway."

"Much needed."

"Good, the other one was dumb."

"It's [because] he's been in an uncertain situation for over 6 [months], with no clear direction, [and] his mind is racing with doubts, 'Can I overcome this?'. It can be called "losing before the fight even starts." It's a manifestation of his psychological inferiority complex."

"El Matador much better and is more marketable for him lol."

"Thank god he was going to throw away one of the sickest nicknames for no reason."

"Bro has more name changes than title defenses."

Check out some of the fan reactions below:

Fans react to Ilia Topuria changing his nickname again. [Screenshots courtesy:@Home_of_Fight on X]

Ilia Topuria's UFC 317 opponent hinges on the UFC 315 main event result

Ilia Topuria’s lightweight title shot is set for UFC 317, but the opponent remains uncertain as all eyes turn to UFC 315 this weekend. The former featherweight king, now chasing gold at 155 pounds, has been linked to both current lightweight champ Islam Makhachev and former titleholder Charles Oliveira.

Makhachev is weighing a potential move to welterweight, depending on the outcome of Belal Muhammad vs Jack Della Maddalena. If Muhammad retains, Makhachev might stay at 155 pounds and defend his belt against Topuria. If Della Maddalena wins, the door opens for Makhachev’s welterweight leap, which could slot Oliveira in as Topuria’s opponent.

UFC CEO Dana White confirmed the matchmaking puzzle at the UFC 315 press conference, stating:

"There’s a lot of moving parts right now and yeah, that’s pretty accurate."

Check out Dana White's comments below:

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About the author

Abhishek Ramadasan Nambiar is a journalist who covers MMA at Sportskeeda. As a long-time practitioner of various martial arts, seeing the fusion of different forms into a quest for the ultimate fighter felt both primal and profoundly technical. At Sportskeeda, Abhishek's primary goal is to offer a fresh and distinctive angle through his writing, aiming to provide readers with more than just the basics of MMA. Along with keeping them informed about the latest developments in the sport, he strives to offer valuable insights that enhance their understanding of MMA.

When not writing about MMA, Abhishek often spends time reviewing music or devouring Brian Evanson's and Blake Crouch's work. Sign up to receive news, regular updates, and exclusive coverage.

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Edited by Abhishek Nambiar