Ilia Topuria announces another nickname change after mixed reaction to ‘La Leyenda’ moniker

However, after beating Max Holloway at UFC 308, vacating his 145lb belt, and announcing his decision to move up to the lightweight division, Ilia Topuria announced that the next stage of his career will come with a new nickname.

The 14-0 Spaniard rebranded as ‘La Leyenda’, which translates to ‘The Legend’ in English.

Ilia Topuria provides another nickname update

Topuria’s new moniker was met with a mixed reception from fans, who liked his old nickname.

Paddy Pimblett told Topuria to abandon ‘La Leyenda’ soon after the new title was confirmed.

On Thursday, the pound-for-pound superstar revealed he will be going back to ‘El Matador’.

“I’ve thought about it, and the truth is that many times in life we don’t appreciate it until we’re close to losing it or actually lose it,” Topuria told El Hormiguero.

“And that’s what happened to me with ‘The Matador’, so I’ll continue to be ‘The Matador’ until that happens.”

What’s next for Ilia Topuria?

In the same interview, Topuria provided details about his return to the Octagon at UFC 317.

The 28-year-old confirmed he will fight Islam Makhachev or Charles Oliveira for lightweight gold on June 28.

Topuria’s opponent hinges on the upcoming welterweight title fight between Belal Muhammad and Jack Della Maddalena, which will headline UFC 315 in Montreal, Canada, on Saturday night.

A win for Muhammad will see Makhachev stay at 155lbs to defend his belt against Topuria, rather than moving up to face one of his training partners. If Della Maddalena scores the upset, Khabib Nurmagomedov‘s protege will jump to 170lbs, giving Oliveira the chance to win back the lightweight title against ‘El Matador’.

Dana White has confirmed that Topuria’s comments on the situation are accurate ahead of UFC 315.

“Yeah, there’s a lot of moving parts right now,” the UFC CEO said at a pre-fight press conference.

“Yeah, that’s pretty accurate,”