Jorge Masvidal weighs in on the most fitting fighter for the title holder
The UFC’s first-ever belt champion has given his opinion on who truly embodies the title.
Jorge Masvidal closed out a breakout year in 2019 by defeating Nate Diaz at UFC 244, and it was more than just another win. It came with the debut of the symbolic belt, created specifically for that fight.
Originally meant to be a one-off, the title made a comeback for Dustin Poirier’s rematch with Justin Gaethje in 2023 and has remained part of the landscape ever since. Charles Oliveira currently holds the belt, but Masvidal doesn’t see him as the division’s true standout.
While there may not be an official challenger lined up yet for UFC 300’s newly crowned champ, Charles Oliveira, did suggest that his next opponent should be Islam Makhachev.
Jorge Masvidal chooses Ilia Topuria as UFC’s top rival ahead of Alex Pereira
Oliveira claimed the title by defeating Max Holloway at UFC 326 in March, becoming the fourth fighter to hold the belt. But not everyone was pleased with how that fight played out or how ‘Do Bronx’ took home the title.
While Masvidal has backed Oliveira’s claim to the title, he still only just makes it into Gamebred’s top five. Masvidal shared his selections during an episode of Paramount’s Deep Waters podcast, putting lightweight champion Ilia Topuria and former light heavyweight champ Alex Pereira at the top.
“I got Ilia, No. 1,” Masvidal said. “Chama (Pereira), No. 2, because that guy fights. Everybody knows, in Japan, in Korea, it doesn’t matter whether it’s Thailand or Japan. International. He is a star. He is an effing star, bro. Like, it’s crazy, man.
“No. 3, I’ll go with (Khamzat) Chimaev. I think Chimaev is a huge star worldwide,” Masvidal continued. “No. 4, I’m going to throw a curveball at y’all. But I think especially after his next fight, he’s going to be one of the biggest names, Sean Strickland, bro. And he’s got like that whole love and hate. He’s going to be up there.
“No. 5, I’m going to go with Charles Oliveira. He’s so famous worldwide. He’s got the whole Brazil on his back without even mentioning it.”
No doubt will only fire up fans who believe he should have lost his last fight against Alexander Volkanovski after failing to defend a late takedown despite dominating most of their contest in Perth.
Ilia Topuria knocked out Max Holloway while he held the title
There’s a real case to be made for the UFC lightweight champion carrying the title status, too. After taking Alexander Volkanovski’s featherweight belt, Topuria was set to face Max Holloway in October 2024.
Six months earlier, ‘Blessed’ had knocked out Justin Gaethje at UFC 300 to become the third holder of the title, following Gaethje and Masvidal.
Holloway was then taken out by Topuria in dominant fashion, but only the featherweight belt was on the line that night.
Still, many have since backed Topuria’s claim to this status based on how thoroughly he handled Holloway inside the cage.
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