‘Didn't want to' – Ilia Topuria explains reason for major career change ahead of UFC 317 clash with Charles Oliveira

ILIA TOPURIA has revealed why he ditched the UFC featherweight title.
The Georgian-born Spaniard vacated the 145lbs belt he ripped from Alexander Volkanovski 's clutches in February to pursue lightweight gold.
4
4
4
The 28-year-old departed the division after a sole, but emphatic, title defence against fan favourite Max Holloway last October.
Topuria left featherweight with a wealth of contenders, all of whom he'd have to face after cutting more than a STONE of bodyweight, champing at the bit to face him.
And the difficulty of the gruelling 40lbs weight cut ultimately proved to be the catalyst for a permanent return to lightweight.
He told ESPN Deportes: 'In that moment [when cutting weight], I'm so low.
"I feel terrible… I didn't want to suffer anymore…
"It's like living in the desert, and I wanted to live on the beach.'
Topuria has looked to have put on a considerable amount of muscle mass on his frame ahead of his crack at the vacant lightweight title against Charles Oliveira at UFC 317 later this month.
The fight will be his first since his departure from his long-time trainers Jorge and Augustin Climent and decision to make Madrid his permanent training base.
JOIN SUN VEGAS: GET £50 BONUS
4
The split was an amicable one, with Jorge telling Submission Radio: "You feel, always, this is not good for the sentimental feeling, but this [is] life.
'We go with him on the journey and now he grow, and he wants to fly away, you know?
Ilia Topuria went OFF on Conor McGregor in response to his tweet
"We are very proud to [go as far as we did] with him. We are very proud for everything he [has done].
"Of course, we are a little sad, but I want everything in his life [to] continue going well.
"I want all good for him and his brother, and I think that they do the same for us.
'I don't know what can be in the future. We have our own [direction right now] We love him. We love his brother.
"We know he's going to [beat] everybody that [he fights] because he's the best.

Try Our AI Features

Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:

Learn with AIFact CheckingText to SpeechAI Summary

Related Articles

Scottish Sun

6 hours ago

• Scottish Sun

Celtic boss Brendan Rodgers spotted linking up with Conor McGregor on holiday as UFC fighter congratulates manager

Click to share on X/Twitter (Opens in new window) Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window) CELTIC boss Brendan Rodgers has been snapped alongside world famous UFC fighter Conor McGregor. McGregor shared a picture of the two of them on his social media just days after a SunSport exclusive showed him throwing two punches at a man at a nightclub in Ibiza. Sign up for the Celtic newsletter Sign up 3 UFC fighter Conor McGregor Credit: AP 3 Celtic boss Brendan Rodgers and Irish fighter Conor McGregor Credit: X/TheNotoriousMMA 3 Celtic boss Brendan Rodgers Credit: Alamy Rodgers, who is taking some time out ahead of the new season kicking off soon, was praised by the Irish fighter after winning the double last season. Aberdeen denied them a treble with a famous penalty shoot-out victory in the Scottish Cup final at Hampden in May. McGregor himself is a former UFC featherweight and Lightweight champion holding both titles at the same time - a historic first in the sport. And he alluded to that success in his post with the Celtic manager. McGregor wrote on twitter: "LEGENDARY DOUBLE CHAMP LINK UP! "NEXT YEAR, TREBLE! "God is great! "Congrats to the Rodgers family on the new addition to their family." Meanwhile, as the fixtures were announced for the new season, Rodgers says he is preparing for a tougher test this year ahead of facing a new-look Rangers team. He told Sky Sports: "We create our own benchmark and our own levels and we have been doing that consistently now. What's holding up Nygren Plus Kuhn & Maeda price tags REVEALED Celtic transfer special "But there is no doubt that competition makes you better in whatever sport it is, or whatever pursuit of anything you are trying to achieve. "When you have competition, it narrows the focus and we need to keep an eye on our rivals in terms of what they do and the players they might bring in and systems they play and tactics they use. "Competition is always healthy for you, and for me, it is what really drives me up here. "But ultimately it's about making Celtic as best we can possibly be." Keep up to date with ALL the latest news and transfers at the Scottish Sun football page

Daily Mirror

8 hours ago

• Daily Mirror

Canelo Alvarez and Terence Crawford to fight for unique bonus in showdown

Canelo Alvarez and Terence Crawford will clash in September in one of the biggest fights in boxing history - and there could be more money on offer for one man Either Canelo Alvarez or Terence Crawford will land a KO bonus if they can bring their mega-fight to an early finish. Alvarez and Crawford will clash in Las Vegas on September 14 in one of the biggest fights in boxing history. Crawford is stepping up two weights to super-middleweight to take on the division's undisputed ruler. And while both men will cash a multi-million-dollar purse, there will also be an added incentive. ‌ The fight will be promoted by UFC CEO Dana White whose promotion has long offered bonus for the fight and fighters of the night. And Saudi boxing supremo Turki Alalshikh is determined to weed out so-called 'boring' fights and when asked how he plans to do that, he said: "We will not have them, that is the first thing. The second, for this fight and the next one, we will have a KO bonus." ‌ READ MORE: Boxing fans make worrying comparison between Manny Pacquiao and Mike Tyson Alvarez and Crawford came face to face in Riyadh on Friday night in the first of three press conferences ahead of their autumn showdown. Both men promised to deliver victory but declined to be drawn into a war of words. " He's not going to beat me. Don't worry about it," Canelo added. "I think this fight is going to be in the history books of boxing, that's for sure. You're nothing different. Nothing different." Crawford responded: "For sure them belts are coming with me; they're coming home with me. I'm taking them, and there ain't nothing you're going to be able to do about it come fight night. I promise you." The September showdown will also have a record-breaking £140,000 Ring Magazine belt on the line. And Alvarez added: "He's a great fighter, but he's not Canelo. They only focus on my power, but I have more than that. This fight i going to be one of my best fights in my history."

The Review Geek

8 hours ago

• The Review Geek

Olympo – Season 1 Episode 2 'Crying or Winning' Recap & Review

Crying or Winning Episode 2 of Olympo season 1 starts with Zoe and the others trying to resuscitate Nuria. A medical team soon arrives and rushes Nuria to the hospital on site. Amaia refuses to leave and waits for news about Nuria's condition. Zoe joins her, too. The doctor informs them that Nuria is stable, but they can't see her yet. Amaia begs the doctor to run a doping test on Nuria. Zoe is offended and confronts Amaia for saying this. The doctor kicks them out and later calls someone, asking what they gave Nuria. The doctor adds that Nuria's condition is serious. The following morning, Zoe wakes up after having a nightmare about her accident. Renata continues to ignore her. Meanwhile, everyone gets ready to start their day. Roque wakes up to hate comments under his post with the closeted guy. However, he focuses his attention on helping Amaia, who insists on seeing Nuria. The doctor refuses to let them in. Amaia tries to contact Isabel, but she is off campus. Amaia ends up late for her practice, and everyone, including the coach, criticises her. In the locker room, the closeted guy punches Roque. Thankfully, Charlie and Sebas intervene before things escalate. Sebas asks Roque to be careful about his social media presence. On the other side, the coaches worry about Nuria. Amaia tries to bring up the doping subject, but everyone assumes she is jealous of Nuria. At the running field, Zoe fakes an injury to avoid training. In the meantime, Christiana interrupts the artistic swimming training session to talk to Amaia. He tells her that he is leaving, and she makes it all about herself. She accuses him of not putting in enough effort. However, she assures him that nothing has changed between them. In the physio, Zoe shares her concern over Nuria with Renata. Still, Renata doesn't talk to her. Charlie gets on with his usual antics and starts strip dancing. Zoe also strips and gets in the hot tub with Sebas, Fatima and Charlie. They are all curious about Zoe's Olympo sponsorship. Jennifer comes to her defence and takes Zoe away. They head to the sauna, where the other athletes are playing, Would You Rather. The conversation switches to Nuria, and Zoe zeroes in on Amaia. She doesn't mince her words, but Jennifer asks her to stop. Amaia stands up for herself, and another trainer walks in to stop the debate. After this, Renata follows Zoe as she escapes to the woods. She finds Zoe smoking a blunt and takes it from her. Zoe starts chasing her, forgetting she is supposed to have an ankle injury. Renata finally confronts her and warns her to change her attitude before she loses her sponsorship. Zoe comes clean about her legal issues and asks Renata to help her. Back at the centre, Amaia and Roque try to get Isabel so they can see Nuria. Christian is about to leave, but Amaia opts to focus on Nuria instead. She finds Isabel, who takes her to see Nuria. Amaia is shocked to see Nuria unconscious, with Hugo holding her hands. The medical team is forced to drag her out as she cries. In the end, she misses her chance to say goodbye to Christian. Christian is hurt, but Fatima starts flirting with him. Iker picks him up and refuses to wait for Amaia. During the ride, Iker speeds up to teach Christian a lesson about not giving up. Out of fear, Christian agrees that he will stop being a crybaby and focus on winning. Instead of driving back home, Iker switched their destination. On the football field, Javier demotes Roque as the captain and promotes Charlie. Roque confronts him about it, and Javier refuses to tell him the real reason behind the demotion. Roque figures it might be because of the social media post. Roque also overhears Jennifer talking to someone about a doping drug. He sees Jeniffer take something while the other girl refuses to take the drug, saying she doesn't want to turn out like Nuria. During the sparing session, Roque takes down Charlie. Charlie asks Sebas to take down Roque for him. He tries to use a homophobic slur to instigate Roque. However, Sebas seems to take offence too. During the sparring, Roque notices Sebas getting a hard-on and realises that Sebas is gay. On the running field, the coach punishes Zoe by asking her to do more laps. He also shares some sad news with Renata, who starts crying. Zoe questions what is going on, but no one tells her anything. It seems Renata doesn't like being teamed up with Zoe. Later that night, a group of athletes sneak out to a cabin near the school. They start drinking and playing some drinking games. Amaia and Roque discuss the Nuria situation and Roque's dating life. Roque reveals he is over the other guy and into Sebas. Charlie flirts with Amaia, but she turns him down. Sadly, Sebas and Zoe sneak off to the woods to have sex. Sebas fails to get a hard-on, but Zoe plays it cool and assures him it is okay. At the same time, the other guy starts kissing another girl to rile Roque up. Things get intense when Zoe and Amaia go up against each other in a game. Amaia calls Zoe a fraud, and the latter pretty much calls Zoe a friend killer. This triggers Amaia to pour her drink on Zoe and storm off. Roque follows her out and comforts her. He assures her that Nuria's accident was not her fault and agrees to take her to see Nuria. Back at the centre. Renata takes a video of the medical team rushing Nuria to get emergency help. They put Nuria on a helicopter and take off. The Episode Review As we suspected, there is more to Nuria's accident than what meets the eye. At the centre of all this is Hugo. He looks saddened to see Nuria unconscious, but there is a hint of regret on his face, too. He likely wanted to secretly train Nuria to outperform Amaia. His plan was most likely to give Nuria the sponsorship, too. We still don't know why he gave Zoe a sponsorship. There is also evidence that more athletes at the centre are doping, but no one wants to come forward. With Nuria's condition getting critical, maybe someone will. The trainers and staff at this centre are also keeping secrets. Some of them already know about the doping but are protecting the person behind it. Who did the doctor call to ask what they gave Nuria? It is also suspicious how Javier benched Roque and demoted him. In retrospect, I think Zoe is agonising Amaia over the Nuria issue because she feels guilty over whatever happened with Yaiza. She is projecting her guilt onto Amaia. Once we find out more about both accidents, we will be able to understand both characters. As for matters of the heart, things are getting complicated. Amaia didn't see Christian off, and he was probably mourning their relationship. She loves him, but has a lot going on. It is no excuse, and we hope they can solve their issues. Meanwhile, Roque is crushing on Sebas, but Sebas is not even ready to accept himself, let alone think of making a move on Roque. While we are on this, it was nice of Zoe to keep Sebas secret, and she didn't shame him. She made him comfortable and assured him that it was okay. Previous Episode Next Episode