Diego Lopes says UFC’s reenforced stance against champ-vs.-champ fights led to Ilia Topuria vacating the featherweight title.

While reacting to Topuria giving back the championship in an interview with broadcast partner ESPN, Lopes says the roster has been told by UFC brass that if a titleholder wants to pursue a second title,

At the UFC Seattle post-fight scrum, White also clarified that Ilia Topuria’s decision to vacate his featherweight belt was a choice made by the fighter rather than UFC Brass. White announced Topuria vacating his featherweight title in an update earlier this month.