Dana White Says Ilia Topuria is Ready for Two Huge Matchups Upon Return From First Career Loss

Dana White reveals that UFC matchmakers have been in contact with Ilia Topuria to book his return fight.

Dana White Says Ilia Topuria is Ready for Two Huge Matchups Upon Return From First Career Loss

Dana White and Ilia Topuria (Image via X)

Fans have wondered when Ilia Topuria will return to the octagon after suffering a nasty beatdown at the hands of Justin Gaethje in June. After the fight, he was ordered to serve a six-month medical suspension, which makes it impossible for Topuria to fight in 2026 again.

UFC CEO Dana White recently spoke with Jim Rome. The sports radio host frequently interviews White regarding what’s going on in the MMA world. Rome asked White about Topuria following the Georgian-Spanish fighter’s social media return after the loss at the White House.

Surprisingly, White said that the former lightweight champion was ready to return. However, he didn’t give a date or a timeline for the massive return. This led Rome to ask him if Gaethje or Paddy Pimblett was next for ‘El Matador.’ White revealed his excitement for what’s coming next.

Yeah, our guys are always in touch with them and we don’t have him on the schedule right now. But listen, Topuria’s ready to fight, we’re ready for him… Both (Gaethje and Pimblett fight) sound good to me. They’re both great. We don’t lose with either one of these fights, they’re both great fights, so I don’t know. The rematch with Gaethje is incredible. A Paddy Pimblett fight is amazing.

Dana White told Jim Rome

‘El Matador’ made his return to social media with a video showcasing how he and his son reacted to the loss at UFC Freedom 250. Topuria even said that he won’t predict the results of his fights moving forward after the loss, announcing the arrival of a different side of him.

Meanwhile, Justin Gaethje is not looking to return this year after competing twice. He started his training camp in late 2025 to fight Pimblett in January 2026. Later, he fought Topuria at the White House. The wear and tear of the training camps caught up to him, and the champ wants to recover.

If the UFC is looking to rematch Gaethje and Topuria, it is going to happen sometime in 2027. On the other hand, Paddy Pimblett offered to fight Topuria whenever he returns to the octagon. After quickly submitting Benoit Saint-Denis at UFC 329, ‘The Baddy’ wants to fight again in December.

Dana White and the top brass has a tough task ahead of them in sorting out the lightweight division. It remains to be seen how they can keep the division moving, considering the stacked talent available to them.

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Justin Gaethje reveals that Ilia Topuria made mistakes before UFC Freedom 250 loss

UFC Freedom 250 produced a monumental upset in the main event. Justin Gaethje survived a brutal second round to dish out more damage to get the victory. Topuria slowed down in rounds three and four. This led Gaethje to outstrike ‘El Matador’ before the corner of Topuria stopped it after the fourth round.

Ilia Topuria facing off against Justin Gaethje
Ilia Topuria facing off against Justin Gaethje (Image via MMA Fighting)

‘The Highlight’ recently spoke with Demetrious Johnson on his YouTube Channel. Gaethje felt that Topuria made mistakes that led to the loss.

He wasn’t prepared for what happened that night. That’s his fault. He didn’t think it was possible for someone to be in there with him for that long. He forgot who he was and how dangerous this game is.

Justin Gaethje told Demetrious Johnson

Before fighting Gaethje, Ilia Topuria ended three of his previous fights before the fourth round. He knocked out Alexander Volkanovski in the second round of UFC 298, and later knocked out Max Holloway in the third round at UFC 308.

Soon, Topuria moved up a weight class and knocked Charles Oliveira out in the first round. Gaethje felt that such confidence stemming from the KO wins made Topuria forget about the brutal nature of MMA.

This is what the American fighter attributes Topuria’s first career loss to. It remains to be seen if the duo ever fight each other again and if the fight goes a different way the second time around.

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