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Lightweight champion Ilia Topuria could be back in the octagon sooner rather than later. “El Matador” teased his return in a social media post on Tuesday.
“The Champ is back,” Topuria wrote on Instagram accompanied by training photos and videos.
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In November, Topuria announced that he was taking an extended break from fighting to deal with divorce. It was unknown how long the champion would be sidelined but he indicated that he would not be fighting in the first quarter of 2026. In his absence, the fight promotion opted to crown an interim titleholder.
Former interim champion Justin Gaethje and Paddy Pimblett fought for the interim crown in the UFC 325 main event on Jan. 24. Gaethje defeated “The Baddy” to become two-time interim titleholder and earned a title unification bout against Topuria.
Topuria, a two-division UFC champion, won the 145-pound title by knocking out Alexander Volkanovski at UFC 298 in February 2024. He defended the featherweight championship once, knocking out former titleholder Max Holloway at UFC 308.
Following his knockout wins over two of the greatest featherweights in UFC history, Topuria relinquished his 145-pound championship to move up to the lightweight division and challenge for a second UFC divisional title. He knocked out former champion Charles Oliveira to win the vacant lightweight championship at UFC 317 last June. He’s expected to face Gaethje in a title unification bout last this year. It’ll be Topuria’s first lightweight title defense.
