Ilia Topuria targets Paddy Pimblett for April return after Justin Gaethje loss

The former two-division champion said he is considering a comeback from April and suggested he may retire after it. UFC chief executive Dana White has said the promotion is planning Topuria's return for early 2027.

By Combat Sports UK Staff · Published Fri 6 Nov, 15:09 UK · AI-assisted reporting

Ilia Topuria has named Paddy Pimblett as the man he wants to face when he returns from the first defeat of his career. He told ABC Diario that he is considering a comeback from April onwards.

He spoke in a preview clip of an upcoming interview, released on Thursday. Earlier in the week, UFC chief executive Dana White said the promotion was planning for Topuria to return in early 2027. No opponent or date has been announced.

Topuria lost his lightweight title to Justin Gaethje in June, in the main event of UFC White House. He went in as a heavy favourite, and a win had been widely expected to earn him a move up to welterweight to challenge Islam Makhachev, a rare chance at a title in a third division. Instead, Gaethje stopped him in a corner at the end of the fourth round. Topuria had said little in public since.

In the clip, he called it the worst day of his career and said he had spent months asking himself whether something had been wrong on the night. He said: “Was something off is a question I’ve had to face over the last five or six months, but one thing is clear: you either win or you lose; and I lost.” He also suggested the comeback could be his last fight. He said: “I’ve achieved everything, and after this fight, what else?” He added that he might even retire, but promised that his return would show a version of himself nobody had seen before.

His chosen opponent is a longtime rival. Topuria said of Pimblett: “I’ll eat him like a sausage, which he is.”

In this story

Ilia Topuria Paddy Pimblett Justin Gaethje Islam Makhachev