Once the referee signals the start of the UFC 314 main event, Ilia Topuria’s featherweight reign will officially come to an end.

UFC CEO Dana White announced on Wednesday that Topuria (16-0 MMA, 8-0 UFC) is vacating his featherweight title as he moves up to the lightweight division.

“Topuria has felt like he’s done all he can in that division, and he feels like he’s cemented his legacy, and his body cannot make the weight anymore,” White said on Instagram Live.

“So Topuria will be moving up to 155 pounds and will be vacating the featherweight title. … As soon as the first punch is thrown in (Volkanovski vs. Lopes), the title is vacated.”

With the belt up for grabs, former champion Alexander Volkanovski will face surging contender Diego Lopes for the vacant title at UFC 314.

Topuria exits the featherweight division after an undefeated 2024 campaign, where he won the title by knocking out Volkanovski at UFC 298 and later defended it with another knockout victory over Max Holloway at UFC 308.

Now shifting his focus to the lightweight division, Topuria has already set his sights on the division’s reigning champion, Islam Makhachev.

“I really believe that I can beat the current champion, Islam,” Topuria said on the “Full Send Podcast.” “He’s a great champion, but I like to fight people that fans think will be competitive. With Islam, I’m going to have that.”

With Topuria moving up, the featherweight division will see a fresh title fight at UFC 314, as Volkanovski looks to reclaim his throne against Lopes, who has been making waves with his recent performances.