Ilia Topuria currently doesn’t appear to be interested in defending his featherweight strap against anyone from his division, much to the ire of surging contender Movsar Evloev.
Oozing confidence leading up to his featherweight title shot against Alexander Volkanovski, Topuria backed up his words with action, dethroning “The Great” via a Round 2 knockout at UFC 298 earlier this month. “El Matador” had previously made clear his unwillingness to defend his strap against any of the perennial featherweight contenders: Max Holloway, Yair Rodriguez or Brian Ortega.