"He's not telling us what's next" - Daniel Cormier questions UFC featherweight king Ilia Topuria reportedly turning down top contender fights
Daniel Cormier recently voiced his concerns about Ilia Topuria, claiming that the fighter is turning down fights with elite opponents.
Despite being the UFC featherweight champion, Topuria has seemingly refused fights with several top-ranked contenders including former champ Alexander Volkanovski. He doesn't see himself defending his belt against any of these opponents.
In a recent episode of JRE MMA Show, Joe Rogan revealed that Topuria reportedly turned down the rematch against Volkanovski at UFC 305 in Perth.
''I don’t know who he wants to fight next, but I guess he feels like he’s the champ, he can call the shots. I know that he turned down the Perth one — [UFC] 305, the Volkanovski rematch.”
Check out Joe Rogan's remarks on Ilia Topuria below:
Cormier was not pleased with Topuria's choice to not defend his title against any of the opponents listed above. In a video that he uploaded to his YouTube page, the former two-division champion vented his frustration with the Spaniard, saying:
''Ilia Topuria is the champ, and as the champ at times you have some say into who you're gonna fight, when you're gonna fight and you're ready and all that. I don't know if he has as much say in this as he thinks he does. It's just weird. He's not telling us what's next, but he's saying no to a lot of things that can be right now. And I don't know that you can do that as the champ."
Check out Daniel Cormier's comments below:
However, Max Holloway's win at UFC 300 has put him back into the title picture, as Topuria reportedly agreed to face him in his first featherweight title defense.
Max Holloway receives an ultimatum from Ilia Topuria
UFC featherweight champion Ilia Topuria issued an ultimatum to Max Holloway after the new BMF champion called him out. Topuria stated he was confident in his abilities and wanted to defeat Holloway to take home the BMF title.
Since then, they have gone back and forth via interviews and social media posts. 'El Matador' is willing to fight Holloway if certain conditions are fulfilled, but has vowed to face Brian Ortega if not. In a recent X post, he wrote:
"The only thing questionable about me is whether I finish you by KO or submission... You now have the one thing that keeps you relevant and that would grant you a money fight, the BMF belt... Winning that belt while holding my title will cement me as the first. The first to hold both belts... I decide who, when, and where. If you don’t like the terms I’m sure Ortega will oblige."