UFC 306 in Las Vegas is scheduled for around Mexican Independence Day, September 14th, 2024. While the fight card has not been officially announced, rumors are circulating about a potential matchup between current BMF champion Max Holloway and reigning UFC featherweight king Ilia Topuria. However, Topuria’s past statement about moving up to a higher weight class adds uncertainty to his future in featherweight, making it a 50/50 proposition.

Despite this, there is still speculation about Ilia Topuria’s divisional plans. Adding to the speculation, a veteran UFC fighter recently dismissed claims of Topuria moving into the lightweight division to face the division king Islam Makhachev.

UFC veteran dismisses Ilia Topuria’s future intentions

Speaking on his YouTube channel, Michael Bisping alongside Harrington discussed the UFC Sphere that has emerged as the most anticipated card for UFC and UFC CEO Dana White. Harrington raised the potential of featuring a Spanish-speaking fighter like Ilia Topuria on the main fight card. He also claimed that the event would break all the records. Harrington focused on the possibility of Islam Makhachev as a potential opponent for Ilia Topuria, as the latter had previously expressed an interest in moving to the lightweight class.

Disapprovingly, Harrington’s words were shut down by Michael Bisping, who told him it was too soon for the 27-year-old to become a two-division champion. Bisping emphasized that Ilia Topuria’s potential fight against Max Holloway would be his first defense. He stressed the importance of Topuria defending his title at least three times before considering a move to a higher weight class.

Bisping added, “That’s only my kind of threshold, you know, but you’ve got to defend it multiple times. You can’t win one fight, defend it once, and then say, ‘Right now I want the next one’. No way, it doesn’t work like that. It’s not fair to all the other contenders. “

These principles underscored Bisping’s stance on the matter, highlighting the competitive integrity within the UFC. However, a few days back, during his book launch, Ilia Topuria’s remarks regarding Max Holloway’s unavailability because of personal reasons sparked controversy about the future of the fight.

Is Max Holloway not available for the title shot?

Since winning the UFC featherweight title against Alexander Volkanosvki at UFC 298, Ilia Topuria has been out of the game, traveling his country with his belt and busy promoting his upcoming autobiographical documentary “Matador”. During a promotional event, when asked by a reporter about booking his first title defense after becoming champion, Topuria placed the blame on Max Holloway.

Ilia Topuria said, translated from Spanish via ESPN, “It’s not because of me. They called me to say that Max Holloway was having family issues, that he was having trouble cutting weight, and that he wanted to fight in a higher weight class. Honestly, I don’t know. I have no idea.” After these words reached the ears of Holloway, he fired back, claiming Ilia Topuria was making things up.

Seems like a potential fight is already brewing and it’s gaining momentum with time. Let’s see when the UFC announces this fight. If it happens, whom would you root for: Ilia Topuria or Max Holloway? Let us know in the comments.