It might be all to play for at 145-pounds.

Reports emerged this week that reigning UFC featherweight champion Ilia Topuria is considering stepping away from the division in which he is champion to move north to 155-pounds to pursue Islam Makhachev’s world title in a move that would likely require him to vacate the championship he won earlier this year against Alexander Volkanovski and subsequently defended against Max Holloway — the two fighters who have dominated the division for the past decade.

But if Topuria does relinquish his title, one athlete who is well-positioned to take advantage of the situation is Diego Lopes: the 29-year-old Brazilian who has won seven of his past eight at 145-pounds.

“If Ilia going to 155, let’s meet in the Octagon. You can pick the date and location,” Lopes wrote on the social network previously known as Twitter, addressing Volkanovksi.

Lopes has emerged as one of the featherweight division’s most exciting fighters since his debut with the organisation in May of last year. In September, he scored his biggest win to date when he outpointed Brian Ortega inside the Las Vegas Sphere.

Volkanovski, meanwhile, has indicated that he will only accept a title bout in his next outing in the cage — though presumably this stance could change if Topuria’s exit from the division is confirmed.

Another fighter who would be in the conversation for a title bout at 145-pounds would be the unbeaten Russian Mosvar Evloev, who scored a unanimous decision win over the former bantamweight champ Aljamain Sterling at last weekend’s UFC 310. Evloev is the only fighter to hold a win over Lopes in the UFC.