Ilia Topuria fan poll backs Justin Gaethje rematch over Paddy Pimblett

Ilia Topuria, who is targeting April 2027 for his return, has asked his Instagram followers to choose his next opponent, even though lightweight champion Justin Gaethje has already dismissed a rematch.

Ilia Topuria has put his next fight to a public vote, asking fans on Instagram to choose between a rematch with Justin Gaethje and a grudge match with Paddy Pimblett. Hours after the poll went up, just under 60% had picked Gaethje.

More than 300,000 people voted within the first seven hours. Topuria has 18.8 million Instagram followers, so most of the voters are likely to be his own supporters. Many of them would want him to win the lightweight title back, which may have pushed the result towards the championship rematch.

Gaethje has already dismissed a second fight, which has turned attention to Pimblett. Topuria and Pimblett have been at odds since an altercation at a hotel in London more than four years ago.

Topuria lost the lightweight title to Gaethje at UFC Freedom 250 on the White House lawn in Washington, DC, this summer. It was the first defeat of his professional MMA career. He stayed out of the public eye afterwards and returned in September.

The former two-division champion still wants an immediate title shot when he comes back, and a rematch with Gaethje remains his preference. Dana White has said Topuria's next fight is in the works. Topuria has since given his first media interview since losing the belt, in which he named April 2027 as his target for a comeback.

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