Ilia Topuria is the current lightweight champion, former featherweight champion, and number one pound-for-pound fighter in the world. He remains undefeated at 17-0 with seven KO wins and 8 submissions. Ilia has quickly become one of the greatest fighters of this century in the UFC. He reigns at the top of the company at the moment, but that means that everyone is gunning to dethrone him. The champ has a plethora of options at the moment to see who he will face next, and there is a lot of fan speculation surrounding the champion’s next opponent. Here is a breakdown of four fighters who may face Topuria in the near future and knock off the all-time great.
Islam Makhachev
Islam Makhachev and Ilia Topuria are the two best fighters on the planet right now. Constantly exchanging that number one pound-for-pound spot. He recently became the latest two-division champion after defeating Jack Della Maddalena by unanimous decision for the welterweight belt. Makhachev is regarded as one of, if not the greatest, lightweight of all time, and now he has two belts to enhance his legacy. This has been the ideal fight to make since Topuria made the move to lightweight. This move coincided with Islam’s decision to vacate the lightweight belt and move up to welterweight, so the two have not met head-to-head yet. Topuria wants this fight, and a win against one of the greatest fighters will put him on that pedestal.
Makhachev has said that he wants to stay at welterweight at the moment, but still has eyes on facing Topuria. This would be one of the biggest fights in UFC history. The only problem is that Makhachev fought within the last two weeks, and Topuria has not fought since June. Islam needs time to recover and then will also need full training camp in preparation. This would mean that they likely would not fight until the second half of 2026. Topuria wants to stay active and taking a whole year off awaiting a fight is not ideal. Topuria needs to fight once before that match up is planned out. This means that while this is the obvious matchup to make, it logistically won’t happen in the near future.
Arman Tsarukyan
Arman Tsarukyan is coming off a dominat performance against the #6 ranked Dan Hooker by second round submission. He was originally set to fight Islam Makhachev in January of this year when Islam was still champion. However, he pulled out due to an alleged back injury. This sidelined Tsarukyan until November and took away his title opportunity, which he has rightfully earned back after his last performance. There is also a storyline that can be crafted between Topuria and Tsarukyan as both have had intense words exchanged over social media and even in a backstage encounter at UFC Qatar. Arman also went viral for sharing skits about Topuria and saying that he is scared to fight him.
Tsarukyan did not take nearly any damage in his last fight, which could fast-track him to a title opportunity in early 2026. Ideally, around February would be the timeline so that both fighters are not sidelined for an extended period of time. This could benefit Topuria as well because with a win, he could then focus on facing Islam Makhachev later in the year for a super fight. Getting through Arman is no small feat, though, as he is the #1-ranked lightweight in the world and is on a five-fight win streak. He is also one of the best grapplers in the sport, but he will be facing one of the best KO artists in MMA and an elite grappler in his own right in Topuria. This would be a big fight with a lot of questions going in, as well as one of Ilia’s biggest tests. A win for the champion would be another stepping stone to potential GOAT status.
Paddy Pimblet
Paddy “the Baddy” Pimblet is one of the biggest rising stars in the UFC at the moment. The Scouser from England has burst onto the scene in the last couple of years since his impressive run in the regional scene. He is undefeated in the UFC and is a grappling phenom who usually makes quick work of his opponents. The Scouser is charismatic and loves to talk trash and has the skills to back it up. He is currently the #5-ranked lightweight in the world and is coming off a pummeling of Michael Chandler in his last fight. “The Baddy” has put himself in a position for a title shot and has history with the champion. Pimblet talks trash to everyone, and Topuria is no different, but the words between the two have created lots of tension. Paddy has even pressed Ilia on one occasion in person, which added fuel to the fire.
Both men have not fought in a while, and need fights soon if they want to stay active. The history between the two and the difference in fighting styles make for a crazy and entertaining fight. Many people think that Paddy has not earned the opportunity yet and needs one more win before he gets his turn. This could be true, but with the feud with Topuria and the star power Pimblet has, there is a very real possibility that this could be Ilia’s next fight. For Paddy, a win over an all-time great in Topuria would put him on top of the MMA world and bring him to new heights. A lot of fans are counting Pimblet out, but this is a common occurrence for the Englishman, and he proves people wrong time and time again. This would be a massive fight in terms of viewers, which would be a big monetary gain for the UFC, which is another reason why this fight is possible.
Justin Gaethje
Justin Gaethje is one of the most entertaining and wild fighters in UFC history. Known for going to war with every fighter he faces and making highlights for the ages. He has been in contention for a fighter for the last five years, if not more, but has come up a little short in all of his attempts. A fight between him and Topuria would be straight fireworks. One of the best boxers in MMA vs of of the most chaotic and wild fighters in UFC history. Geathje has said that he doesn’t want to fight unless it is for the belt. This has put him in a controversial position where he has been put to the side and doesn’t have a fight coming his way in the near future.
He is only on a one-fight win streak, and before that, he was knocked out by Max Holloway in the greatest KO moment of all time at UFC 300. Many people believe that he is not deserving of a title shot, and that could be true. It would be hard to convince any UFC fan that he should get the opportunity over Arman, Makhachev, or even Pimblet. The stylistic matchup is what makes this fight so intriguing, and Gaethje is one of the sport’s top stars. There have been some rumors circulating that Topuria is his next opponent and that it could happen in January, but none have been confirmed.
