Now that Justin Gaethje has defeated Paddy Pimblett for the UFC interim lightweight title at UFC 324, all we have to do is wait for Ilia Topuria to return and unify the belts. That may happen sooner than one might think after this latest update from “El Matador.”
Topuria has been very deliberate when it comes to messages about his fighting future. The lightweight champion took a step back from competition at the end of November 2025, citing vague personal issues that would later reveal themselves
to be a contentious divorce and custody battle. With accusations of parental alienation, extortion, and domestic abuse flying, Topuria decided to clear his fight schedule to focus on his personal life.
How long would that take? Some divorces can take a long time, especially ones involving lots of money and children. But in a post from Topuria on Instagram, he shared new training footage and a hopeful message.
“The Champ is back!!!” the caption on his post read.
With many fighters, we wouldn’t put too much stock into an Instagram post with a generic message. But as we noted, Topuria’s team has been extremely specific regarding this hiatus. There’s speculation that loss of earnings could be factored into his divorce hearing, making such declarations about his competitive future legally notable. So there’s reason to be hopeful that this Instagram post marks a shift in his situation and the beginning of his comeback.
If that’s the case, it will be interesting to see when the UFC schedules him to fight. At this point all eyes are on the UFC’s big White House card on June 14th. Having Topuria take on an American in Justin Gaethje would be the perfect headliner (sorry, Conor and Jon). Would that main event tickle your fancy, Maniacs? Or would you rather see Topuria and Gaethje return as soon as possible, perhaps April or May?
