UFC lightweight champion Ilia Topuria has revealed his future plans to leave mixed martial arts for professional boxing.<\/p>\n
As we know, Ilia Topuria is one of the biggest stars in mixed martial arts today. He is a fantastic fighter in every sense of the word and in his last three fights alone, he has been able to knock out Alexander Volkanovski, Max Holloway and Charles Oliveira to become a two-weight UFC world champion.<\/p>\n
RELATED: Ilia Topuria praises UFC 324 booking of Paddy Pimblett vs. Justin Gaethje<\/a><\/p>\n However, after recently announcing a hiatus<\/a> from the sport to deal with some personal issues, Topuria\u2019s future has been up in the air. We know that Paddy Pimblett and Justin Gaethje will compete for the interim UFC lightweight title at UFC 324, but beyond that, his return date is unclear.<\/p>\n In a recent interview, Topuria had the following to say about what his future holds.<\/p>\n \u00a0<\/p>\n Ilia Topuria said he doesn\u2019t plan to compete in MMA much longer in a recent interview \ud83d\udc40<\/p>\n \u201cI don\u2019t think I\u2019ll stay in MMA too long. It\u2019s no secret I always wanted to go and test my skills in boxing. I want to finish my story in MMA first. At this moment, in MMA, I don\u2019t think I\u2019m\u2026 pic.twitter.com\/bha69iS96L<\/a><\/p>\n \u2014 Happy Punch (@HappyPunch) December 14, 2025<\/a><\/p>\n Topuria reveals plans to leave MMA for boxing<\/p>\n \u201cIt\u2019s no secret that I\u2019ve always wanted to try my hand at boxing,\u201d Topuria told\u00a0Marca<\/a>. \u201cBut I think something I\u2019ve always applied to my life is that if you try to catch two rabbits, you end up catching neither. So, I want to finish my story in mixed martial arts, in MMA, first, and once I\u2019m done, then make my complete transition to boxing. I can\u2019t be preparing for an MMA fight, then leave, prepare for a boxing match, come back\u2026 I don\u2019t think that would be very professional, would it?<\/p>\n \u201cBecause boxing requires a completely different approach, very, very, very different training that I have to adapt to. Obviously, the timing is different, and well, it\u2019s not even an octagon; it\u2019s a ring, and I would have to adapt to that, which takes time, like everything in life. So, right now, in mixed martial arts, when I finish\u2014which I don\u2019t think will be too long, to be honest\u2014I\u2019ll make my transition to boxing, and I\u2019m going to surprise more than a few people.\u201d<\/p>\n Quotes via MMA Fighting<\/a><\/p>\n