Dana White confirmed the shock announcement that Ilia Topuria will vacate his UFC featherweight title before moving up to lightweight - potentially for a blockbuster fight with Islam Makhachev.
The Georgian and Spanish fighter is now in line to fight Islam Makhachev in a blockbuster fight with the UFC supremo detailing a packed card for UFC 314 in April.
And White detailed the thought process behind the decision and the next steps in a seismic late-night announcement on social media: “Topuria felt like he's done all that he can in that division and he feels like he cemented his legacy and his body cannot make the weight anymore.
White then revealed a stacked card for UFC 314, including Volkanovski vs Diego Lopes as the main event and Paddy Pimblett challenging Michael Chandler in a co-main event.
Nikita Krylov vs Dominick Reyes, Dan Ige vs Sean Woodson, Yan Xiaonan vs Virna Jandiroba and Jim Miller vs Chase Hooper completes the card.
