Dan Hooker Believes Ilia Topuria’s Move to Lightweight Mirrors Conor McGregor’s Strategy, Foresees Volkanovski Fight Next Year

Kevin Binoy | 21/12/2024
Ilia Topuria (blue gloves) wins a unanimous decision against Josh Emmett (red gloves) in a featherweight bout during UFC Fight Night at VyStar Veterans Memorial Arena.

Dan Hooker isn’t buying the hype around Ilia Topuria’s rumored move to lightweight. While some see Topuria’s path as a mirror of Conor McGregor’s rise—dominating featherweight before jumping up—Hooker thinks it’s all just a clever way to stay in the spotlight. 

According to Hooker, Topuria isn’t planning to leave featherweight anytime soon, especially with a potential showdown against Alexander Volkanovski likely on the horizon. For now, Hooker believes Topuria is just playing the game while staying firmly rooted in his division.

In an interview with Submission Radio, Hooker explains:

“It’s pretty evident he’s just working off McGregor’s playbook. Line 1 of McGregor’s playbook is ‘Keep Your Name in Headlines’. The guy doesn’t fight that often.”


Topuria is riding high after his knockout win over Max Holloway at UFC 308 in October. Coming off of a title win over Alexander Volkanovski, Topuria promised to be the first to crack Holloway’s chin—and he delivered in round three. Now, ‘El Matador’ has his eyes on the lightweight division, hinting at a potential fight with Charles Oliveira.  

But don’t get too excited yet—Topuria’s move to 155 isn’t official. He admitted on social media that he hasn’t even discussed it with the UFC, and the featherweight title is still his. 

So, while Topuria might want to test himself at lightweight, there’s a good chance we’ll see him defend his title at 145 again against Volk before making the jump, which is in line with what Hooker feels as well. 

Khabib wants Topuria to prove himself first

In the meantime, Khabib Nurmagomedov doesn’t mind the idea of Topuria challenging for the lightweight belt—he just thinks the Spaniard needs to earn it first. 

On the ‘Pound 4 Pound’ podcast, Khabib told Henry Cejudo that if Topuria can beat someone like Dustin Poirier or Charles Oliveira, he’d fully support a title shot. “Why not?” Khabib said, pointing out that there aren’t many clear contenders for Islam Makhachev right now.  


Makhachev, who’s riding a 14-fight win streak, already has three title defenses under his belt, including wins over Volkanovski and Poirier. His next challenge is Arman Tsarukyan at UFC 311.  If he wins that fight, Islam will have but two opponents left to fight in the lightweight division. 

If he defends the title against Oliveira, it will be a rematch of their title fight at UFC 280, except this time, Islam will be the one defending.

The other option is Justin Gaethje but after his loss to Max Holloway at UFC 300, Gaethje’s title prospects don’t look so bright.

Post Edited By: Smrutisnat Jena
Ilia Topuria

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Kevin Binoy

With more than 4 years of journalistic experience in the mixed martial arts industry, Kevin Binoy is a true connoisseur of the sport. He is an MMA journalist at The SportsRush but the 'break room historian' watches every sport under the sun. While his degree in economics enables him to call Paris home, Kevin only ever humbly brags having caught a glimpse of Demetrious Johnson that one time LIVE in Singapore. Kevin has covered countless UFC PPVs with over 2500 articles and millions of views to his name. He mainly covers PPVs and Fight Nights but also has a finger on the pulse of MMA pop culture.

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