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Ilia Topuria confirms UFC comeback plan from dates to potential opponents

Originally posted on Bloody Elbow | By Donagh Corby | Last updated Jan 16, 2026 10:02 PM ET

Ilia Topuria has plans to return to the octagon much sooner than expected, and he has his two potential opponents picked out.

The two-division world champion won lightweight gold back in June when he knocked out former title holder Charles Oliveira to win the belt vacated by Islam Makhachev. Since then, issues outside of the octagon forced him to postpone his first defense.

Instead, Paddy Pimblett and Justin Gaethje are battling it out at UFC 324 to determine who will become interim champion. And now, he has offered a timeframe as soon as 12 weeks from now for when he might come back to unify the division.

Ilia Topuria could return as soon as April to face UFC 324 winner

In a bit of good news for UFC fans, it seems that Ilia Topuria’s return to the octagon could be a whole lot sooner than anticipated. There had been fears he may be out for an extended period, and he was unable to fight at next week’s UFC 324.

But in a recent string of tweets, he has confirmed that his comeback could be as soon as within April, which would be just a matter of weeks. When one fan asked him “Hi bro when do you think you’ll fight again?” Topuria replied by giving the broad timeline of April-June.

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He even discussed potential opponents, completely dismissing the challenge of Arman Tsarukyan, who he claimed he would “easily” knock out. Instead, he wants the winner of Pimblett and Gaethje’s fight to quickly unify the division.

It had been heavily rumored prior to Topuria’s issues outside of the octagon emerging that he would face either Pimblett or Gaethje in his first defense at 155lb. That is still on the cards, his path will just become a little clearer after the fact.

This article first appeared on Bloody Elbow and was syndicated with permission.

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