Ilia Topuria: Breaking News, Rumors & Highlights

UFC’s Ilia Topuria ranks above Anthony Joshua as the most marketable combat sports athlete of 2026

Ilia Topuria and several of his former opponents made SportsPro’s top 150 list. In June, Topuria suffered the first loss of his career when defending his lightweight title in the main event of UFC Freedom 250 at the White House.

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Paddy Pimblett reveals hilarious prop he plans to bring to press conference if he fights Ilia Topuria

Paddy Pimblett already has a hilarious plan to get into Ilia Topuria’s head if they’re ever booked to fight each other. Paddy Pimblett has had a mixed 2026 after losing to Justin Gaethje at the beginning of the year, before rebounding in impressive fashion when he choked out Benoit Saint-Denis in under a minute at UFC 329.

MMA News / Bloody Elbow / October 29

Paddy Pimblett reveals injury delay when prioritizing Justin Gaethje rematch over Ilia Topuria feud

Paddy Pimblett can’t fully train because he is taking time to attend to injuries. Earlier this month, Pimblett said he’ll likely return in 2027 and will look to begin a training camp after getting to enjoy the Christmas period.

MMA News / MMA Knockout On SI / October 27

UFC Legend Alexander Volkanovski Teases Ilia Topuria Rematch Before Retirement

UFC Featherweight Champion Alexander Volkanovski is days removed from defeating Movsar Evloev in the main event of UFC 333 in Abu Dhabi. Now, three days later, the conversation has quickly shifted to what's next for the Australian.

MMA News / BoxingNews.com / October 27

Volkanovski Floats Topuria Rematch

Alexander Volkanovski wants one more fight before retiring, as he has a rematch with Ilia Topuria in mind. Volkanovski stopped Movsar Evloev in round two at UFC 333 in Abu Dhabi last Saturday, handing Evloev the first loss of his career.

MMA News / BoxingNews.com / October 26

Volkanovski Calls Out Topuria For Lightweight Rematch

Alexander Volkanovski wants a lightweight rematch with Ilia Topuria before retiring, the former featherweight champion revealed after his second-round finish of Movsar Evloev at UFC 333.

MMA News / Bloody Elbow / October 26

Sean O’Malley mocks Ilia Topuria for his reaction to Merab Dvalishvili’s UFC 333 loss

Sean O’Malley doesn’t think there is any argument that Merab Dvalishvili beat Petr Yan. On Saturday night in Abu Dhabi, Yan ended his trilogy with Dvalishvili by securing his second consecutive decision win over his bantamweight rival.

MMA News / Bloody Elbow / October 25

Watch Ilia Topuria’s live reaction to his friend Merab Dvalishvili losing at UFC 333

Ilia Topuria was devastated after watching Merab Dvalishvili lose his second fight in a row. The former bantamweight champion was beaten by Petr Yan in an enthralling UFC 333 co-main event.

MMA News / EssentiallySports / October 24

Ilia Topuria Roasted Over Eye Condition Amid UFC Return Talks

Ilia Topuria made a surprising announcement in September that he is finally eligible to return to the Octagon after doctors provided him with medical clearance.

MMA News / BoxingNews.com / October 22

Jon Jones Reveals All On Topuria

Jon Jones says he viewed Ilia Topuria as the first real threat to his place as the UFC’s greatest of all time, until Topuria lost to Justin Gaethje. “Before that White House card, I looked at him as [invincible].

MMA News / Bloody Elbow / October 21

Jon Jones admits he saw Ilia Topuria as the first ‘threat’ to his UFC GOAT status

Jon Jones has long laid claim to GOAT status in the UFC, but one man’s run was beginning to worry him. The former UFC heavyweight and light heavyweight champion was hoping to add to his legacy by fighting on the White House lawn this past June.

MMA News / EssentiallySports / October 17

Ilia Topuria’s Unlikely PFL MMA Move Stuns Home Crowd in Georgia

Ilia Topuria didn’t need to throw a single punch to bring the house down in Georgia. The former UFC two-division champion made a surprise appearance at an RKENA x PFL event in Tbilisi, and thousands of fans went absolutely wild, chanting his name and welcoming him like royalty.

Video Games News / Athlon Sports / October 17

EA UFC 6: How to Claim 5 Free Champion Skins

Ahead of UFC 333, EA Sports is giving EA UFC 6 players an opportunity to add five free champion skins to their collection for a limited time. On October 15, EA Sports announced a special promotion featuring Jon Jones, Alex Pereira, Conor McGregor, Sean O’Malley, and Ilia Topuria.

MMA News / MMA Weekly / October 15

Paddy Pimblett: 'I'll send Ilia Topuria back down to featherweight'

There are some things UFC lightweight Paddy Pimblett does very well: fight, eat, and trash talk former two-division champion Ilia Topuria. With both men coming off of losses and most of the top of the division booked for fights, a showdown between the two rivals could be on the horizon.

MMA News / The Body Lock / October 15

Paddy Pimblett Claims Ilia Topuria Is ‘Damaged Goods’ After First Career Loss

Paddy Pimblett believes Ilia Topuria will never be the same after losing his unbeaten record to Justin Gaethje Pimblett says Topuria is the only fighter

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MMA News / EssentiallySports / October 15

Paddy Pimblett Slams ‘Scared’ Ilia Topuria and Explains Why a TUF Showdown Is Unlikely

Paddy Pimblett wants to coach a season of The Ultimate Fighter (TUF) opposite Ilia Topuria. However, the Liverpudlian doubts it will happen, believing the former lightweight champion is too scared of his trash talk to sign up for the UFC’s marquee reality show.

MMA News / Bloody Elbow / October 14

Paddy Pimblett explains why Ilia Topuria will never recover from his loss at UFC Freedom 250

Paddy Pimblett thinks Ilia Topuria’s career as a pound-for-pound MMA superstar is over. ‘El Matador’ was widely regarded as the best fighter on the planet ahead of UFC Freedom 250.

MMA News / Bloody Elbow / October 9

UFC referee thanked Ilia Topuria’s team for stopping Justin Gaethje fight in new White House footage

Fans can get a new perspective on the main event of UFC Freedom 250 without commentary. Topuria is training again after taking time off before starting to prepare for his return to the Octagon.

MMA News / Bloody Elbow / October 9

Ilia Topuria vs Paddy Pimblett tipped to sell out 100,000-seat stadium: ‘Biggest fight UFC can make’

Jorge Masvidal thinks one potential fight in the UFC stands above the rest. There is some uncertainty surrounding the lightweight title picture in MMA’s leading promotion, as new champion Justin Gaethje ponders whether to retire or defend his title.

MMA News / Bloody Elbow / October 8

15-1 former champion in Ilia Topuria’s promotion books his second UFC fight

A hot UFC prospect will be back in action this November. The card is beginning to come together for the UFC’s return to Riyadh next month, as the leading promotion in MMA heads to the Middle East for back-to-back events in Qatar and Saudi Arabia.

MMA News / Bloody Elbow / October 7

Ilia Topuria vs Arman Tsarukyan: Why Usman Nurmagomedov thinks the UFC hasn’t booked it

Usman Nurmagomedov thinks a huge lightweight fight would have happened if the UFC had enough belief in Ilia Topuria. The PFL lightweight champion is rumored to be signing with the UFC after fighting out his contract this past August.

MMA News / Bloody Elbow / October 7

UFC urged to ‘pay whatever’ to make Paddy Pimblett vs Ilia Topuria happen on The Ultimate Fighter

Sean O’Malley is firmly behind Paddy Pimblett’s pitch for how to settle his biggest rivalry. Some big names remain without their next fights on the calendar in the UFC lightweight division.

MMA News / Bloody Elbow / October 5

Salahdine Parnasse’s manager reacts to rumored Ilia Topuria fight at UFC 336: ‘It’s a big yes’

Salahdine Parnasse’s coach and manager has welcomed a potential fight with Ilia Topuria. The former two-weight UFC champion is currently looking for an opponent for his comeback bout.

MMA News / MMA Weekly / October 3

Renato Moicano volunteers to be Ilia Topuria's UFC return tune-up fight

Ilia Topuria is approaching his UFC return. A devastating defeat last time out, Topuria sustained a lot of damage, forcing him to take a much-needed rest away from the octagon.

MMA News / MMA Weekly / September 29

Ilia Topuria back in the gym as UFC return edges closer

Ilia Topuria is nearing his UFC return. ‘El Matador’ had an astronomical rise to the top of the sport, delivering every step of the way. Dealing with the first setback of his career, Topuria avoided the public eye to recover from the damage he took and regain his hunger after a rigorous six years with the UFC.

MMA News / EssentiallySports / September 28

Justin Gaethje Shuts Down Ilia Topuria Quitter Narrative After UFC White House Fight

Justin Gaethje isn’t jumping on the Ilia Topuria “quitter” train. After their wild UFC Freedom 250 showdown ended with the Spanish-Georgian’s corner stopping the fight before the fifth round, the internet wasted no time going after ‘El Matador’.