Ilia Topuria says he isn’t done after his stunning loss to Justin Gaethje at UFC Freedom 250, and he already has a name in mind for his comeback: Paddy Pimblett. The former two-division champion is eyeing a return around April 2027.
A Loss That Changed Everything
Justin Gaethje ended Ilia Topuria’s unbeaten run and took the UFC lightweight title at UFC Freedom 250, handing the Spanish-Georgian star the first real setback of his career. Speaking to Spanish outlet ABC, Topuria didn’t hold back on how hard the loss hit him. “I’ve been in the worst situation a fighter can be in,” he said, before floating the idea of walking away entirely. “Maybe I’ll even retire,” he admitted. The comments stand in sharp contrast to the dominant run that had defined his UFC career up to that point. He had dethroned Alexander Volkanovski to win the featherweight title, then moved up to lightweight and captured a second belt, becoming one of the few fighters in UFC history to hold titles in two divisions at once. That run had him climbing toward the top of the UFC pound-for-pound rankings, with some analysts floating him as a future GOAT candidate. The loss to Gaethje was also the first of his entire professional career, which goes a long way toward explaining just how hard he says it hit him.
Paddy Pimblett Is the Target
Despite the setback, Topuria isn’t ready to walk away just yet. He’s targeting a return around April 2027, and he already knows who he wants across the cage: Paddy Pimblett. The two have never fought, but their rivalry has simmered for months. Topuria didn’t mince words about the Liverpool fighter: “Paddy, Paddy, Paddy. I eat him like a sausage, which he is.” The feud traces back to comments Pimblett made about Topuria’s native Georgia, and it has only intensified since. Pimblett remains one of the most popular and talked-about names in the lightweight division on both sides of the Atlantic, making him a natural opponent for a Topuria comeback built around both sport and spectacle. Plenty of fans and analysts already see the matchup as one of the biggest the lightweight division could offer in 2027, given how personal the back and forth between the two men has become.
A Lightweight Division Still Being Sorted Out
Gaethje’s win ended Topuria’s unbeaten streak and reshuffled the entire 155-pound picture. With the belt now in different hands, the division is still working out where its biggest names stand, and a Topuria return built around a high-profile opponent like Pimblett would immediately put him back in the championship conversation. For now, nothing is official, and the UFC has given no indication of a date or venue beyond Topuria’s own April 2027 target. Topuria, for his part, has never shied away from defending his Georgian roots publicly, and that same instinct is a big part of why his back-and-forth with Pimblett has escalated the way it has. American fans will remember Gaethje as the one who got the job done, and his performance is exactly why the belt picture at lightweight is being talked about so heavily right now.
Dana White Keeps the Door Open
Asked about Topuria’s next move, UFC CEO Dana White confirmed the promotion is already working on his return but stopped short of confirming Pimblett as the opponent. “He’ll be back in 2027. We’re working on that too,” White said. Former champion Jon Jones weighed in as well, suggesting Topuria could have staked a real claim to the greatest-of-all-time conversation had he kept his unbeaten record intact. Whether the UFC locks in Pimblett or lines up a different name, Topuria’s April 2027 target date gives the promotion several months to sort out one of its most anticipated comebacks. For now, no date or venue has been announced, and the promotion says only that the matter is being worked out internally. Either way, Topuria’s camp and Pimblett’s camp both know a fight between the two would be one of the easiest sells the division could put together heading into 2027.
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