Ilia Topuria has made the decision to move up to the lightweight division after vacating his featherweight title, according to UFC CEO Dana White.
White revealed that Topuria felt he had accomplished everything he could at featherweight and wanted to give other fighters opportunities by relinquishing his belt.
The decision led to a new championship bout being booked for UFC 314, with Alexander Volkanovski facing Diego Lopes in the main event.
Despite Topuria’s desire to face UFC lightweight champion Islam Makhachev, no decisions have been made about his next fight.
White emphasized that there are still other possibilities for Topuria’s next opponent.
In response to claims that the UFC is changing its policy on champions holding titles when changing divisions, White explained the pros and cons of champions chasing titles across multiple weight classes.
While White prefers to see fighters dominate one division before pursuing another title, he acknowledged that Topuria’s wins over top featherweights make his move to lightweight understandable.
White highlighted the importance of case-by-case evaluation when it comes to champions changing weight classes.