Ilia Topuria is a former UFC featherweight champion (Photo / Reproduction Instagram UFC)
the decision of Ilia Topuria The idea of changing his nickname continues to generate reactions from various MMA personalities. While for some, the change from 'El matador' to 'La Leyenda' was seen positively, for others it may be the first sign that the Georgian/Spanish fighter is close to a reality shock in the lightweight category (up to 70,3 kg). For Chael Sonnen, the idea may be the result of a new state of mind in the fighter, motivated by the move up a division.
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The American spoke about the situation in a video published on his YouTube channel, this Friday (28). When citing examples of other fighters throughout history who changed their nicknames throughout their career, such as Paulo borrachinha e Dan Henderson, the commentator mentioned Floyd Maywheater Jr. The former boxer's nickname was changed as he got older and he himself knew how to adapt his persona to the new name. For the former athlete, Ilia is looking for the same thing.
"Ilia Topuria Sonnen Jr. is turning the page on his career. He's going from 'Pretty Boy' to 'Money Maywheater' and I don't know where that's going to go. But if it all goes the way he thinks it will, he's going to be one of the few guys who can find a way to have two stories instead of one. And the same thing happens if it doesn't go his way. He's still going to be a guy who can separate things. The Legend lost, but the Matador didn't," Sonnen said.
️Chael Sonnen"Ilia Topuria Hates 145, Wants Nothing to Do With It”
“He's done with 145. He hates 145. He wants nothing to do with 145. You can't hear a happy Ilia interview. He's so angry. He doesn't like being world champion. He doesn't like that he doesn't have a… pic.twitter.com/4ZASB7cEUm
— Red Corner MMA (@RedCorner_MMA) March 28, 2025
When addressing Topuria's change of category, the American gangster made it clear that the former featherweight champion (up to 65,7 kg) is not even considering returning and simply does not care about the progress of the division.
"Ilia Topuria “He hates 145 pounds and wants nothing to do with it. He ended up at 65,7 pounds. He hates 65,7 pounds. He wants nothing to do with it. You can’t hear a happy interview with Ilia. He’s so angry. He doesn’t like not being a world champion. He doesn’t like not having a guaranteed world title shot when he comes into the new weight class,” he concluded.
Ilia Topuria is a former UFC featherweight champion. Photo: Instagram / UFC
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