By FCF Staff

Recently, there’s been plenty of talk about Ilia Topuria moving up to lightweight, and the UFC’s featherweight champ has made it clear that’s in his plans. But, Daniel Cormier believes the rising superstar still has some challenges to contend with at 145 pounds.

Topuria (16-0) is coming off an awe-inspiring year, as the Georgian and Spanish fighter knocked out legendary featherweights in Alexander Volkanovski and Max Holloway. Following his win over Holloway in October, Topuria acknowledged that Volkanovski deserves a rematch. But, not long after, it was reported Topuria repeated his interest in competing at lightweight, prompting further speculation about his future.

More recently, Cormier appeared on “The Bohnfire” podcast. While discussing Topuria’s immediate future, the Hall of Famer noted that there are some contenders at featherweight the champ needs to face (quotes via MMA Junkie.com).

“I think he’s still got work to do at 145,” Cormier said. “Unfortunately, he’s going to beat the guys that sell early, so he’s going to have to carry Diego Lopes, he’s going to have to carry (Movsar) Evloev to numbers. Because the numbers in the weight class now for the last nine years have belonged to Volkanovski and Holloway. He’s going to have to carry those new guys because they don’t have the cache that these last two had.”

The 27-year-old Topuria joined the UFC in 2020 and has gone 8-0 to date. Currently, Lopes is ranked #3 in the UFC’s featherweight division and Evloev is ranked #4. Volkanovski and Holloway are ranked #1 and #2, respectively.