Ilia Topuria once experienced the peculiar situation of winning a title contest only to leave without the championship belt.
The undefeated Georgian remains a highly impressive competitor within the UFC.
Considering potential future challenges, such as a move to Lightweight and a possible bout for the vacant UFC Lightweight belt at UFC 317, Topuria`s history with making weight is noteworthy.
Ensuring he successfully makes weight will be crucial for any future contests, preventing a repeat of the situation faced during a vacant title challenge in Cage Warriors earlier in his career.
Ilia Topuria`s Weight Miss Preceded Cage Warriors Title Win
Despite being one of his most notable victories, a Cage Warriors title fight saw Topuria unable to claim the championship, a consequence of difficulty making the required weight.
The incident occurred in June 2018 at Cage Warriors 94 in Antwerp, Belgium, where Topuria was scheduled to face Brian Bouland for the vacant Bantamweight title.
Nathaniel Wood, the prior champion, had vacated the title upon signing with the UFC in April 2018.
Leading up to the bout, roughly two years before his UFC debut, Topuria faced difficulties cutting down to the 135 lb Bantamweight limit. As he typically competed at 145 lbs, shedding the additional ten pounds proved challenging.
Ultimately, he was unsuccessful in making weight, tipping the scales at 139.4 lbs, nearly 5 lbs over the limit. The fight proceeded as planned, with the title still contested, but only Brian Bouland was eligible to claim it with a victory.
Despite the setback of being ineligible for the championship, Topuria remained focused.
He swiftly secured a dominant position, taking Bouland`s back in under two minutes before applying a tight anaconda choke. This submission rendered his opponent unconscious, ending the fight dramatically in the opening round.
Thus, despite securing a decisive victory, Topuria`s failure to make weight meant the Cage Warriors Bantamweight title remained vacant until Jack Shore captured it in Cardiff later that year.
Topuria Climbs to #3 in Pound-for-Pound Rankings Following Jon Jones` Retirement
Subsequent to Jon Jones` departure from mixed martial arts competition, Ilia Topuria ascended to the #3 position in the official UFC pound-for-pound rankings.
Previously, Jones held the #3 spot and is widely regarded as one of the sport`s premier heavyweight champions.
His retirement facilitated Khamzat Chimaev`s entry into the rankings at #15, concurrently allowing Topuria to occupy the third rank formerly held by “Bones.”
A potential victory against Charles Oliveira at UFC 317 could further elevate Topuria, though surpassing the former UFC Lightweight champion Islam Makhachev at the very top might prove challenging.
