Since 19 October, MMA fan pages have been insisting that Ilia Topuria vs Paddy Pimblett is done. The posts say the fight has been agreed behind the scenes for Topuria’s return, with London and Spain floated as hosts. None of them names a source, and the UFC hasn’t announced anything. Until it does, treat it as a rumour.
What’s confirmed
Topuria (17-1) lost the lightweight title to Justin Gaethje at UFC Freedom 250 on the South Lawn of the White House on 14 June. His corner stopped the fight after the fourth round, the first defeat of his career. He’s still No. 1 in the UFC’s lightweight rankings and is back in training in Georgia.
Pimblett (24-4) is No. 5. He lost to Gaethje for the interim belt at UFC 324 in January, then choked Benoît Saint Denis unconscious with a D’Arce in 52 seconds at UFC 329 in July.
What’s been said
Dana White kept the door open in September on The Jim Rome Show. “We don’t have him on the schedule right now but listen, Topuria’s ready to fight,” he said, and called both a Gaethje rematch and the Pimblett fight “great”.
Pimblett told All Out Fighting he won’t fight in January again and is looking at March or April. Running through the fighters ranked above him, he said: “So it’s only Ilia left.”
There’s another option on the table. UFC commentator Jon Anik said on his YouTube channel that he thinks there are “internal conversations” about Gaethje vs Topuria 2, while stressing that he was only speculating.
Why fans want it
The feud goes back years, to long before either man was close to a title, and few fights the UFC could make in 2027 would sell like this one. The promotion has built two genuine stars at 155 pounds, and this fight would put both on one poster.
We’ll update this story as soon as the UFC confirms a booking.
