Daniel Cormier thinks the stage is set for an Ilia Topuria takeover in the UFC this year.
Topuria (16-0 MMA, 8-0 UFC) had an unforgettable 2024 in knocking out Alexander Volkanovski to claim the featherweight title in February before knocking out Max Holloway in his first defense in October. The body of work earned “El Matador” recognition as MMA Junkie’s 2024 Male Fighter of the Year.
Although Cormier didn’t view UFC 298 and UFC 308, both of which were headlined by Topuria, as the marquee selling events of the year, he said those experiences laid the foundation for Topuria to become one of the UFC’s marquee stars as 2025 begins.
“You have to beat the prior generation to take from it,” Cormier told MMA Junkie. “It’s like (professional) wrestling. The old champion gets pinned by the new champion to build. That’s why The Ultimate Warrior pinned Hulk Hogan, and Hulk Hogan didn’t like to get pinned. But they needed him to get the rub, and now what Ilia is going to do is take a lot of that shine from Volkanovski and Max – especially if Volk gets a rematch and he beats him again – into what will become a global superstar.”
It remains to be seen what Topuria’s upcoming year looks like, and to what degree he will be able to capitalize on his current momentum.
If the UFC is able to host an event in Spain with Topuria at the top of the bill, that is a moment that would seemingly resonate in a big way.
Cormier said his only concern is about the type of opponents Topuria is matched up with. A rematch against Volkanovski would be a significant contest for the sport, but beyond that the list of contenders such as Diego Lopes, Movsar Evloev, Brian Ortega and more do not have a proven track record of moving the needle.
If Topuria gets that far in his reign, Cormier said those will be the type of fights that truly test the champ’s drawing power.
“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 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.”
To hear more from Cormier, check out his complete appearance above on “The Bohnfire” podcast, hosted by MMA Junkie senior reporter Mike Bohn.
