What’s next for Ilia Topuria? Not even the lightweight champion knows, as we all continue to play the waiting game.
Topuria fought just once in 2025, knocking out Charles Oliveira to take the 155-pound belt. There’s been a lot of talk about “El Matador” starting the big move from UFC to Paramount/CBS in January, but that hasn’t come to fruition. Now Topuria says he has nothing planned and has no word from the UFC on when he might compete again.
“They haven’t told me anything about any fight, so I don’t have anything on the horizon,” he told KOLmenero.
What is the delay? It could be as simple as the UFC being glacial in its programming. Or it could have to do with Topuria’s alleged divorce. It’s also possible that Ilia is demanding the biggest fights possible and the UFC is refusing to oblige.
“I can feel things as usual and it’s also up to me, right?” said. “Whoever wants to fight, in the end, the interests of both parties come into play. We’ll see what happens. I have Paddy in mind. I want to fight Paddy, if they don’t let me go up to welterweight to fight Islam, because the fight I would really like to have is against Islam in a third division.”
“Maybe I will have a fight and then in the summer there will be a date where they will allow me to move up a weight class and I will be able to fight for the third belt. Or maybe they will create a new belt called ‘pound for pound’ at a catchweight, where we will both face each other and fight for that title. Let’s see. There are many options, as always, and let’s see what the future holds.”
As cool as it is, the UFC can’t want this game of musical chairs with its championship belts to continue. Historically they like their champions to stand still and defend against whoever they decide will be next. Topuria just moved up a division and now wants to move up again? That’s blatant, and just look at how Dana White reacted to Jon Jones vs. Alex Pereira to see how the UFC handles big fights they don’t like.
What would we, as fans, like to see from Topuria in 2026? At least two fights. Any two fights! Will we get it? In today’s UFC, it’s not a certainty.
