It looks like Ilia Topuria is getting ready for his first featherweight title defense.
In February, ‘El Matador’ shocked the world with a stunning second-round knockout of Alexander Volkanovski, capturing the 145-pound crown and kicking off a new era in one of the promotion’s most stacked divisions.
In the time since, former champion Max Holloway has emerged as the next man in line following his buzzer-beaking KO of Justin Gaethje to claim the BMF belt at UFC 300.
![Max Holloway](https://www.lowkickmma.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/05/17130730545636.jpg)
The UFC has not made any official announcements, but all signs point toward Topuria putting his belt on the line against ‘Blessed’ in a scrap expected to go down in late summer/early fall.