Topuria's next fight: Dana White names two options, and only one of them can happen soon

Dana White says Ilia Topuria is ready to fight and has narrowed Topuria’s next fight to two names: a rematch with Justin Gaethje or the long-running grudge with Paddy Pimblett. Nothing is signed. But the calendar is already making the choice for the UFC, because one of those two men will not fight again before 2027.

Key takeaways

What Dana White said about Topuria's next fight

Ready, and two names on the table

The update came on The Jim Rome Show on Wednesday, September 9. White was asked about Ilia Topuria and did not hedge: “Topuria’s ready to fight. We’re ready for him.” Then he laid out the two fights under discussion, a rematch with Justin Gaethje and a meeting with Paddy Pimblett, and refused to pick one.

“I don’t really have the answer to that question,” he said when pushed on the opponent. “Obviously the rematch with Gaethje is incredible. And a Paddy Pimblett fight is amazing.” No date, no venue, no card. What there is, is the promotion confirming out loud that the former champion is back in its plans.

A week after the letter to his son

The timing lines up with Topuria’s own signal. At the start of September he posted a video letter to his son Hugo, his first public words since the defeat, and signed it ‘We are back’. White’s comments turn that statement of intent into something closer to a schedule, even if the opponent is still open.

Why the Gaethje rematch has no date

The champion is still hurt

The rematch is the obvious commercial answer. Gaethje beat Topuria at the UFC Freedom 250 card at the White House in June, breaking him down over four rounds until Topuria’s corner stopped the fight. It was the first loss of Topuria’s career and the end of his reign at lightweight. This week Gaethje went further and said Topuria had been “very easy to predict” that night, which keeps the rivalry warm.

The problem is the calendar. Gaethje (28-5) told Sports Illustrated at the end of August that both of his hands are still hurt, that he cannot punch anything yet, and that he will not fight again until 2027. He also said he is weighing retirement with his family, and that a Topuria rematch did not feel like his next fight.

And a queue already formed

Even when Gaethje returns, Topuria is not alone at the front of the line. Arman Tsarukyan and Mauricio Ruffy meet at UFC 331 on September 19, and both say the UFC promised the winner the next title shot. A rematch with the champion would have to jump that promise, and a champion who cannot train is not a fight anyone can put on a poster this year.

Both sound good to me. They're both great. We don't lose with either one of those fights.
— Dana White, on The Jim Rome Show

Paddy Pimblett, the fight that can actually happen

Active, dangerous and personal

Pimblett (24-4) is the opposite case. He lost an interim title fight to Gaethje in January, his first defeat in the UFC, then answered at UFC 329 in July by choking Benoît Saint Denis unconscious with a D’Arce in 52 seconds. He is healthy, he is fresh off the best win of his career, and he has been in Topuria’s orbit since 2022, when an online feud spilled into a near-physical confrontation at a UFC event in London.

That history is what makes the fight sell. Two stars who have traded insults for four years, one coming off his first loss and one coming off a statement win, is a main event that needs no belt to draw.

What it would mean for the division

Both men have lost to the same champion, and the winner would have the strongest claim to face Gaethje whenever he returns. That is the logic White did not spell out but that the calendar imposes: until the champion’s hands heal, the Pimblett fight is the only version of Topuria’s comeback that can be booked.

Follow Topuria’s comeback with real numbers

Ilia Topuria’s full record, Paddy Pimblett’s run since January and the current lightweight rankings are in the FightHub app, updated as the matchup takes shape. Download it to compare both options before the UFC makes its call.