Ilia Topuria is expected back in action sooner rather than later.
The former two-division champion last fought in June on the UFC White House card where he suffered an upset loss to Justin Gaethje in the main event. Since then, Topuria has been teasing his return with posts on social media as he gets back in training after his hellacious war with Gaethje.
While an exact date hasn’t been determined for his next fight, UFC CEO Dana White says the promotion is working on Topuria’s return in the new year.
“In ‘27,” White told Jim Rome about Topuria’s next fight. “He’ll come back in early [2027] and we’re working on that, too.
“That entire lightweight division — you’ve got [Justin] Gaethje, Topuria, Arman Tsarukyan, [Charles] Oliveira, Paddy Pimblett, [Max] Holloway, the whole top 10 is straight killers. It’s the best and most bad-ass division we have right now.”
White specifically went out of his way not to mention any potential opponents as that part of the equation is still under consideration.
There have been calls for Topuria to get an immediate rematch with Gaethje, but the new UFC lightweight champion has repeatedly shut down that request. Add to that, Gaethje hasn’t declared his own personal plans in regards to whether he expects to fight again or possibly retire.
That said, there are certainly plenty of options available for Topuria’s next fight when he returns to action. For now, let the guessing games begin, but it appears the UFC is starting to make plans around Topuria’s return in early 2027.
