When the UFC announced in February that the featherweight champion, Ilia Topuria, had decided to vacate its title to ascend a lightweight weight class, there were many unanswered questions around both divisions. Fast advance almost two months, and many of those questions remain.
It will take some time for both divisions to be restored after the decision of the Topuria pump. Light, the question of one million dollars is whether Topuria will get an opportunity for the immediate title or have to win one facing another light contender. Topuria said at a press conference last month that the UFC promised that his next fight would be for a title, but the UFC has not yet announced the next Topuria fight or the next confrontation for his light champion, Islam Makhachev.
The former light champion Charles Oliveira is running for a shot against Makhachev. Like former interim champion Justin Gaethje. Arman Tsarukyan, who retired the day before his January fight at UFC 311 with Makhachev due to rear spasms, is still at stake. In addition to that, Makhachev has aspirations to move on to Welter weight, either in the immediate future or somewhere in the future.
As the CEO of UFC, Dana White, said about the situation at a recent press conference, “Many S — are ongoing now …”
Fortunately, we are About to obtain answers in the pen weight. Former champion Alexander Volkanovski faces Diego Lopes for the 145 -pound championship at UFC 314 on Saturday night in Miami (ESPN+ PPV, 10 ET, with preliminaries in ESPN/ESPN+/Disney+ in 8 ET), and that is only one of several featherweight fights on the card. Topuria's departure showed both divisions to a little chaos, but at least in pen weight, we know the questions and when they will be answered.
How much is Volkanovski left?
Volkanovski went from one of the safer bets in MMA to a mountain of interrogation signs in two years. He is only 36 years old and almost expires Makhachev in a light fight for the title in 2023, but has also been knocked out in consecutive appearances and has revealed that he has been working on his mental health.
Before this confrontation against Lopes, 30, Volkanovski's back is against the wall. His fans could be worried about another loss and their health. This is the biggest doubt that Volkanovski has faced in his 14 -year -old UFC career. He told ESPN that he stopped drinking alcohol long before the start of this camp and that he advanced with his weight cut. His trust certainly seems to be intact.
“I want to show that I can overcome this new school [of fighters]”Volkanovski said.” I still have these boys, believe me. Lopes is young, hungry, in a tear at this time. [I want] go out and do that and [have fans] Be like, 'Oh, Wow, Volk still has it' “.
The classification of this 145 -pound division begins with Volkanovski. He was the king until he ran into Topuria. Now that Topuria is following, who can say that the throne should not belong to Volkanovski? To get there, you have to overcome a hard historical trend: the combatants of 35 years or more have 0-17 in fights for the UFC title to 155 pounds and lighter.
How much does Patricio Pitbull have?
The best fighter in the world in any kind of weight is often the UFC champion. The UFC has the best talent and the deepest weight classes. Occasionally, however, there is a debate, and for years, a potential has involved Pitbull.
Pitbull was a long -standing featherweight weight champion in Bellator MMA, and also won his lightweight title in 2019 by knocking Michael Chandler, whom he will face Paddy Pimblett in the main event of UFC 314. Any MMA fan for a long time Bellator. That is why it was not a surprise that the first publication on Pitbull's social networks by ensuring its launch of Bellator earlier this year was “Hi, @Alexvolkanovski”.
Pitbull faces Yair Rodríguez on Saturday. If you win impressive, there is a very good possibility that you can catapulate the top of the classification and an opportunity for the title.
However, he is 37 years old and was first knocked out in 2023 by Chihiro Suzuki in Super Rizin 2. Like Volkanovski, Pitbull is at a unique point in his career where he has something to demonstrate. But if you can try it, you can jump the line. And that line is not even super long. Basically it is reduced to another contender …
Will the UFC get behind Movar Evloev?
That contender is Evloev, which is 19-0 in general and 9-0 in the UFC, including a unanimous decision about the Lepes two years ago. In fact, each of the wrestling victories of wrestling in the UFC has been by decision.
Here is a good way to summarize the position of Evloev in the UFC: White referred to his victory over Arnold Allen in January 2024 as “the least fun fight that someone has seen.” Since then, Movsar has declared that he will not beg White an opportunity for the title and that he will execute his record at 100-0 if that is what is needed to win a championship. You get the image.
Volkanovski and Lopes have said they want to fight Evloev, and the UFC cannot deny it forever. Its path has already been long, but for it to culminate in an opportunity for title, nothing less perfection is required.
In what kind of ascent could Aaron be aoon?
Pico is heading to UFC. It has not been officially announced, but the news has been arriving and the greatest obstacles have been authorized.
Pico, 28, signed with Bellator in 2014, three years before he even made his debut in MMA. The young Libre Libre Phenomenon was one of the most promising perspectives in MMA's history, but lost three of his first seven Bellator fights. From the difficult beginning, he has won nine out of 10 and was online to fight for the title of Bellator before the promotion stopped operating this year.
Eight years and 17 fights in his professional career, the true peak roof remains a mystery. It has all the talent in the world, but an UFC movement will be a step forward in the competition. If you prove to be caliber by championship, your stock could cross the roof. Do you want to talk about a shake in this division? Pico transfer to UFC could be the largest wild card.
Who else could change the landscape of this division in 2025?
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Jean Silva drops Charles Jourdain with Vicioso Uppercut
Jean Silva draws Charles Jourdain with an incredible uppercut at UFC 303.
Jean Silva has been thrown the opportunity to face Bryce Mitchell in UFC 314 in an extremely fast change of his first round of Melsik Baghdasaryan in February. Youssef Zalal, who is in his second career at the UFC after being cut in 2021, is also finding his step. He simply defeated the always game Calvin Kattar in February to reach 4-0 since he returned to the UFC a year ago.
Finally, Lerone Murphy is undefeated and will be classified among the 10 best after the victory of Saturday's main event against Josh Emmett. There is not much flash for Murphy, who is silent on a streak of eight fights, but there seems to be a substance more than enough to create some problems for the upper part of the division.
