Georgian-born Spanish fighter Ilia Topuria shared his future plans after winning the UFC featherweight championship belt.
Topuria defeated Alexander Volkanovski by knockout in the second round at UFC 298 on February 18.
It’s time to clean up the division a little bit. It’s time for the new generation to have new challengers, new faces, and I think I will be looking for that. Max Holloway and them, no – they don’t make any sense for me right now. Max, Yair, Brian Ortega; all of them, they can go and retire. I'm never gonna give them the chance to fight for the title. Never!
Ilia Topuria
Topuria, 26, previously stepped into the octagon in June 2023 at UFC on ABC 5, defeating Josh Emmett by unanimous decision. He has 15 wins and no losses on his record.
Volkanovski, 35, last fought at UFC 294 in October 2023, losing to Islam Makhachev by first-round knockout. He has 26 wins and four losses on his record.