Ilia Topuria Reveals Plans to Move Up to Lightweight, Retire by Age 30

Ilia Topuria doesn’t want to drag out his MMA career.

Topuria recently shared some significant career plans during an interview on the Spanish radio show El Partidazo de COPE. The UFC featherweight champ firstly revealed that he is most likely done with the 145-pound division. Topuria also confirmed that he plans to move up to lightweight.

Ilia Topuria says he's moving up to lightweight 😳

Interviewer: "Is it possible that we have already seen your last featherweight fight?"

Ilia: "Yes, for sure."

Interviewer: "You are moving to lightweight"

*Ilia nods*

(via. @partidazocope)pic.twitter.com/1i5V4PIb79

— Championship Rounds (@ChampRDS) December 9, 2024

Lightweight champ Islam Makhachev puts his belt on the line against Arman Tsarukyan at UFC 311 on Jan. 18 at the Intuit Dome in Los Angeles, California. The winner of that fight is unlikely to return by April or May, which is Topuria’s preferred timeline to fight again. Hence the Spaniard is eyeing a clash against lightweight contender Charles Oliveira.

"Since Islam is going to fight in January and he is not going to be ready for April [or] May, I would like to fight the No. 1 contender, which is Charles Oliveira,” Topuria said (translation via Championship Rounds).

Topuria captured the featherweight title with a knockout win over Alexander Volkanovski at UFC 298 this past February. The undefeated champ then defended his title by handing Max Holloway his first stoppage loss at UFC 308 in October. While Diego Lopes has been rallying for a shot at Topuria’s throne, “El Matador” says he no longer has the motivation to fight at 145 pounds. The 27-year-old wants to move up to lightweight next and hopefully retire by the age of 30.

"I'm 27. I hope to be out by 30,” he said. “.. Right now, in my division I no longer have the motivation to defend the belt anymore. Now I want to move up a category and we'll see how everything goes."

Topuria’s retirement plans drew a reaction from former two-division UFC champ Conor McGregor, who is arguably the biggest star in promotion history. The 36-year-old claims he already achieved all he had to by the age of 27.

“Here’s the truth that will hurt all the little wannabe nobodies,” McGregor wrote in a since-deleted post on social media. “Fighting was too easy for me, I done it all by 27 years old.”

Conor McGregor after Ilia Topuria said he wants to retire by 30:

"Here's the truth that will hurt all the little wannabe nobodies. Fighting was too easy for me, I done it all by 27 years old."#UFC #MMA pic.twitter.com/yia4spqmTU

— Championship Rounds (@ChampRDS) December 10, 2024

McGregor’s last title win came against Eddie Alvarez back in 2016, which made the Irishman a two-division champ. “Notorious” has since dropped three of his last four, only managing to stop Donald Cerrone in a welterweight bout in 2020. The Dubliner has been out of action since breaking his leg in a defeat against Dustin Poirier in 2021.