The Ariel Helwani Show - BREAKING: Ilia Topuria Vacates Title, UFC 314 & 315 Blockbuster Main Events Set, New London Headliner!

Episode Date: February 20, 2025

Ariel Helwani reacts to breaking news from UFC president Dana White on Wednesday night: Ilia Topuria has vacated the UFC featherweight title, making way for Alexander Volkanovski and Diego Lopes to battle for the belt at UFC 314 in Miami (00:41).Ariel reveals rumblings of Topuria potentially facing UFC lightweight champion Islam Makhachev (01:23), before breaking down the rest of UFC 314, including Michael Chandler vs. Paddy Pimblett (02:57) and Patricio Pitbull's UFC debut coming against Yair Rodriguez (03:27).But that's not all, London will be getting Leon Edwards vs. Sean Brady (05:02) due to Jack Della Maddalena sliding into the UFC 315 main event against UFC welterweight champion Belal Muhammad (05:57).

all right well we got a plethora an avalanche of breaking news late wednesday night i'm getting ready to go to bed and all of a sudden here's dana white answering a whole lot of questions and perhaps creating some new questions as well just earlier earlier today on the show, we were talking about the fact that the Miami card, which is UFC 314, which is scheduled for April 12th, still doesn't have a main event. And we were saying, look, it's less than two months away. Something's got to give here. And something gave. But there's all kinds of moving parts. Like I said, this is an avalanche. Now, the top story is Ilya Teporya essentially is no longer the UFC featherweight champion. Ilya Teporya has essentially vacated the featherweight title.

As a result, the main event for UFC 314, April 12th in Miami, is going to be Alex Volkanovsky versus Diego Lopez for the vacant UFC featherweight title. We all kind of presumed that Volkanovski would be fighting for the belt in Miami in April, but we thought it would be against Teporia in a rematch of a fight that happened essentially 12 months ago, but it's not to be. It's a vacant title fight now, and it's the main event for this Miami card. Now, what does this mean for one Ilya Teporia? Well, it means he's moving up to 155 pounds. I reached out to his agent, Malki Kawa, couldn't hear back. It is quite late. It's past 11 o'clock on the East Coast, but all signs from

what I'm hearing seem to point to an Ilya Teporia versus Issa Makhachev fight, perhaps as soon as International Fight Week. And if you ask me, that is International Fight Week worthy. That is a mammoth, mammoth fight. That's a massive fight. And the kind of spark, the kind of big time fight that the UFC seems to have been searching for over the last couple of months, it would be gigantic, but it's not done. It is not signed. And Dana White said in his Instagram Live that, you know, when they have something to announce regarding Ilya Teporia, they will announce it. But the guy ain't vacating the title just to vacate the title. He's moving up.

And what I'm hearing is it's a weight cutting issue. 145 is just getting to be a little too much. He wants to go up to 155. Feels like he's done everything that he can do, is interested in doing at 145. He has the win over Volkanovski, isn't all that blown away by the other options there. So he's going for the big dog at 155 pounds. And that's Georgia versus Russia. That's a gigantic fight. That is a mammoth, mammoth fight. Just one, I mean, one of the biggest fights of the year. That's two of the most popular fighters in the sport.

Now, we didn't just get the main event for April 12th in Miami. We got the whole freaking card and it's a tremendous one, if I'm being honest. Take a listen to the rest of these fights. Co-main event, five rounds, 155 pound division, Michael Chandler versus Patty Pimblitt. Yes, Patty, finally getting the big test,

making the big leap, fighting one of the top guys at 155 pounds. Huge fight for Michael Chandler. It's not quite Conor McGregor, but it's one of the most popular fighters in the sport. Who doesn't love this fight? And it's five rounds. This is the sink or swim fight for Patty Pimblitt. So this is gigantic stuff and they've been for patty pimblitt so this is gigantic stuff and they've been going back and forth yayir rodriguez versus patricio pitbull he has officially signed i spoke to his team uh just moments ago and they said that the ufc reached out to them with several fights over the last few weeks and as of the show earlier today they had not agreed to anything they had continuously said yes to

opponents, but didn't get a yes back. And now all of a sudden they got a yes back from Yair Rodriguez. So it's Pitbull versus Yair at 145 pounds. Patricia Pitbull on a UFC graphic is just an insane thing. Holy crap, what a card. It gets even better. Jeff Neal against Carlos Prachas, a very good fight at 170 pounds. Nikita Krylov versus Dominic Reyes, a very good fight at 205 pounds. Dan Ige versus Sean Woodson, Jan Schaunen versus Virna Janjiroba. Jim Miller versus Chase Hooper. I mean, this is a proper old school stack card. Darren Elkins versus Julian Rosa. And then we get to some other ones, Cedric Dumas against Michal Olekshechuk, Suma Derzy against Mitch Raposo, and Alberto Montes against Roberto Romero. It's a fantastic card. I mean, there's so much to dissect there. There's so much to digest.

And this is just a quick reaction. We'll have plenty more time to talk about all this. But at the top, you got the vacant title fight at 145 pounds. You got Pitbull and Yair. You got the meat in between the sandwich, which is Michael Chandler versus Patti Pimblitt. Holy crap, Pitbull's in the UFC. This is insanity. So that was one piece of news. He pretty much dropped three gigantic pieces of news. That was one, UFC 314. Then we get to London, which is happening just a few weeks prior, March 22nd. The main event for London is no longer Leon Edwards versus Jack Della Maddalena. It's now Leon Edwards versus Sean Brady. Now, this is the fight that Sean Brady wanted. Remember, he said on the show, he wanted this fight, his wife giving birth around this time, but he would fight around that time as

well because it's such a big opportunity. It's an opportunity to fight the former champion Leon Edwards. In the end, they went with Jack Della. But if you were paying attention to the show this week, I kept saying that something was up with the 170 pound title picture. And now we know Shafqat Rahmanov is injured. He is not going to be fighting in Montreal at UFC 315 in May. And so as a result of that, they moved Jack Della to that card in Montreal. They gave the Leon fight to Sean Brady. Leon stays on the London card, but now the main event for Montreal UFC 315 in May. On May 10th, I do believe that is the date. Yes, is going to be Bilal Muhammad defending his UFC

welterweight title against Jack Della Maddalena, who has not fought since March of last year. When he beat Gilbert Burns, you'll recall, he breaks his forearm, he has the injury, he has the infection, all that stuff. But now here he is getting a chance to fight for the belt. So it's Bilal versus Jack Della all of a sudden for the title. Now, in addition to that, we are getting Valentina Shevchenko defending her UFC Women's Flyweight title against Mano Furo. This is the fight that had to happen. It was the only fair thing.

We all want Valentina versus Zhang Weili. But let's be honest, Valentina fights in May. If she gets by Mano, which is no easy task, then perhaps down the line, we look at the Zhang Weili fight. But Mano has done enough. She's been waiting since March of last year when she beat Erin Blanchfield in Atlantic City. It was the fight to make. She has earned it. She deserves it. And so now you're getting two title fights in Montreal. You're getting the French woman, Mano Fioro, fighting against Valentina Shevchenko, her chance to become UFC Women's Flyweight Champion, and Bilal defending his title against Jack Dell and Madalena.

I'm trying to see if I'm getting everything here because so much has been announced. So I told you about Leon Edwards versus Sean Brady. That's March 22nd. Let me see here. I think I covered it all. This is all a lot of stuff i mean it's an avalanche it's been a while since we've received this much news in uh in one fell swoop um i'm reacting to things in real time here still recording shafkat rachmanov tweeting now big thanks to the ufc for offering me the shot at the belt first unfortunately due to due to injury, I won't be ready for May. I'll be facing the winner later this year. This guy can't catch a break. This guy, I mean, it's crazy. He was supposed to fight for the belt in December. Bilal gets hurt. He fights Ian Gary, and now he's supposed to get a title fight in May. He's hurt,

and so he has to wait to see what happens with JDM and Bilal. Craziness. Ilya Teporia is now a lightweight and he's probably going to be fighting Issam Akhachev. That's craziness. Diego Lopez is fighting for the title. Remember after he beat Brian Ortega back in September, I said I wanted to see Diego Lopez versus Alex Volkanovsky. And now we're getting it. Just didn't think it would be under these circumstances.

Patti Pimblitt is fighting Michael Chandler in a five-round lightweight co-main fight, which is huge for both guys. That's insanity. And Patricia Pitbull is in the UFC. What in the... That's a lot of stuff. All very exciting. All very good. Sean Brady's ducking GC clearly now can't take part in the Averon Challenge NBD. That's kind of the top story if we're being honest. And so yeah, I think we've covered it all. Ilya Teporia is no longer the featherweight champion. He has vacated the title. He's moving up to 155 pounds. Alex Volkanovsky is now facing Diego Lopez for the vacant title at 314, along with Michael Chandler and Patti Pimlett, along Patricio Pippo and Yair Rodriguez, along with Jeff Neal and Carlos

Prachas. Oh, by the way, Patricio Pippo has signed with the UFC, officially. Well, maybe he hasn't put pen to paper, but formality. Shofcott's hurt. Belal's defending his title against JDM. Sean Brady has replaced JDM against Leon Edwards in March in London. And Mano Fiora is fighting Valentina Shevchenko. Holy shit. A lot of stuff. Very exciting stuff. The kind of avalanche of news that we've been waiting for. And here we are.

So quick thoughts. Would have loved to see Ilya versus Volk. I think Volk has earned that. He deserved that rematch. but we haven't seen him in a year. And I'm happy that he took that year off. I'm happy that he was able to rest. And I'm happy he's getting a title shot. And if it can't be against Ilya, then so be it. Perhaps down the line, they could do it again. But he deserved a title shot, in my opinion, upon returning. And kudos to Diego Lopez. What a story. He's getting a chance to fight one of the greatest of all time.

So while I would have loved to see Volk versus Ilya, I'm happy that Volk is getting the title shot, and I'm happy for Diego Lopez as well. Ilya versus Islam is a gigantic fight. It's a fresh fight. It's a fun fight. There's so many great questions surrounding that fight. That's great for the sport. That's great for the UFC. Sign me up.

I'm all in. Patricio getting a chance to fight a mainstay in this weight class over the past 10 or so years is very fun as well. Chandler versus Patty is just brilliant matchmaking. Love that for both guys. A big time fight for Chandler, a chance to get back on track, and a sink or swim fight, you will a proper one it's not too deep but it's a proper proper test for Paddy Pimblitt I love that bummer for Leon that he didn't get the call to to fight Bilal again but I can understand why the last fight wasn't great fresh opponent JDM hasn't been active you know by the time the fight happens it will be like 14 months but I get it I get it as well and so they had to make a call ultimately you don't want to take

Leon off of London he's too big of a deal in London so you have him fight against a tough out like Sean Brady delighted for Sean by the way holy shit what an opportunity for him he deserves it as well now very much in the mix and delighted for Mano Firo getting the shot against Valentino was the fight to make. Overall, if we're grading all of this, it's an eight and a half out of 10. It's a nine out of 10. It's a nine and a half out of 10. Not a lot to complain about. Not a lot not to like here. We're going to have much more reaction, much more dissection, much more digestion. I don't know. That sounds weird. On the boys in the back, Thursday at one, crack on Friday, much, much more to come, but just wanted to jump on here

and give my initial instant thoughts. Thank you for watching. Sub, comment, like, do all the things that you do. We appreciate y'all very much.