Outside Source
Ilia Topuria could be back as soon as April. | Getty/UFC
As he navigates a messy divorce and domestic violence allegations, UFC lightweight champ Ilia Topuria can apparently see the light at the end of the tunnel.
Responding to a post from the UFC where he was honored with “Knockout of the Year” for his finish of Charles Oliveira, “El Matator” wrote: “The award for best knockout of the year in 2026 will also be mine.”
While that alone did not provide any insight into Topuria’s future plans, the Georgian-Spaniard elaborated in the replies to that post, answering that he expects to make his UFC return sometime between April and June. Topuria also added that he expects to face the winner of the interim 155-pound title clash between Justin Gaethje and Paddy Pimblett in his next outing. Gaeethje and Pimblett will square off in the UFC 324 main event on Jan. 24 at the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas.
Topuria captured 155-pound gold with a first-round KO of Oliveira at UFC 317 this past June. His first title defense was delayed when he announced that he would be taking a hiatus to deal with issues in his personal life. The 28-year-old Topuria Team anchor is 9-0 in the UFC and 17-0 as a professional overall. He began his career at featherweight, capturing the championship belt with a knockout of Alexander Volkanovski before defending the strap with a stoppage of Max Holloway. “El Matador” then vacated the 145-pound throne to move up to lightweight.
Topuria Reveals Plans
This article first appeared at Recent News on Sherdog.com
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