Who will Ilia Topuria 🇬🇪#1 fight next?
Not confirmed as of 1 Oct 2026: no opponent or date has been officially announced.
Most likely Justin Gaethje (25%), no event announced yet. Next: Arman Tsarukyan (25%), Paddy Pimblett (22%).
Latest status: Fight-ready from February 2027, per his coach. Dana White says a Gaethje rematch or Pimblett 'both sound good'.
Updated (UAE time) · Percentages are NextSmash model estimates, not facts or betting advice.
Forecast: likely opponents Model estimate
Each percentage is the estimated chance of being his next opponent. These are not chances of winning.
- 25%chance next opponentRematch is under 'strong consideration', but Gaethje is injured and might retire.
- 25%chance next opponentIf Gaethje retires or vacates, Topuria vs Tsarukyan is the logical vacant-title fight.
- 22%chance next opponentWhite named it publicly. Pimblett is likely to be booked against Salkilld first (fighter leak).
Field / other: 28%. This covers everyone not listed above.
- Likely event
- Early 2027. No event announced.
- Last fight
- Loss vs Justin Gaethje · KO/TKO R4 5:00 · UFC Freedom 250 · 14 Jun 2026
- Confidence
- Medium (High = officially booked · Medium = reported or a fighter's own claim · Low = model only)
- Last updated
- (UAE time)
What changed?
- Sherdog: White says Topuria is ready to fight · source
Only dated items with a source are listed: news reports used for the estimate, plus changes to our logged estimates.
Download share image (1200×630 PNG) ·
Fight history Pro record 17-1-0
| Result | Opponent | Method | Rd | Time | Event | Date |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| L | Justin Gaethje 🇺🇸 | TKO (corner stoppage) · R4, 5:00 | 4 | 5:00 | UFC Freedom 250 | |
| W | Charles Oliveira 🇧🇷 | KO (punches) · R1, 2:27 | 1 | 2:27 | UFC 317 | |
| W | Max Holloway 🇺🇸 | KO (punches) · R3, 1:34 | 3 | 1:34 | UFC 308 | |
| W | Alexander Volkanovski 🇦🇺 | KO (punch) · R2, 3:32 | 2 | 3:32 | UFC 298 | |
| W | Josh Emmett | Decision (unanimous) · R5, 5:00 | 5 | 5:00 | UFC on ABC: Emmett vs. Topuria | |
| W | Bryce Mitchell 🇺🇸 | Submission (arm-triangle choke) · R2, 3:10 | 2 | 3:10 | UFC 282 | |
| W | Jai Herbert | KO (punches) · R2, 1:07 | 2 | 1:07 | UFC Fight Night: Volkov vs. Aspinall | |
| W | Ryan Hall | KO (punches) · R1, 4:47 | 1 | 4:47 | UFC 264 | |
| W | Damon Jackson | KO (punches) · R1, 2:38 | 1 | 2:38 | UFC on ESPN: Hermansson vs. Vettori | |
| W | Youssef Zalal 🇲🇦 | Decision (unanimous) · R3, 5:00 | 3 | 5:00 | UFC Fight Night: Moraes vs. Sandhagen | |
| W | Steven Goncalves | KO (punch) · R1, 3:42 | 1 | 3:42 | Brave CF 29 | |
| W | Luis Gomez | Submission (triangle straight armbar) · R1, 1:15 | 1 | 1:15 | Brave CF 26 | |
| W | Brian Bouland | Technical Submission (anaconda choke) · R1, 1:39 | 1 | 1:39 | Cage Warriors 94 | |
| W | Mika Hämäläinen | Submission (guillotine choke) · R1, 3:35 | 1 | 3:35 | CAGE 43 | |
| W | Jhon Guarin | Submission (guillotine choke) · R2, 2:50 | 2 | 2:50 | Mix Fight Events 28 | |
| W | Daniel Vasquez | Submission (rear-naked choke) · R1, 1:50 | 1 | 1:50 | Mix Fight Events 26 | |
| W | Kalil Martin El Chalibi | Submission (rear-naked choke) · R1, 1:03 | 1 | 1:03 | Climent Show MMA 4 | |
| W | Francisco Javier Asprilla | Submission (triangle choke) · R1, 3:30 | 1 | 3:30 | Mix Fight Events 17 |
Professional MMA bouts only, newest first. Source: Wikipedia (checked 2 Oct 2026).
Ilia Topuria: frequently asked questions
When is Ilia Topuria's next fight?
No fight is officially booked as of 1 Oct 2026. Our outlook: Early 2027. No event announced.
Who did Ilia Topuria fight last?
Ilia Topuria lost to Justin Gaethje at UFC Freedom 250 on 14 Jun 2026 (KO/TKO R4 5:00).
Who is Ilia Topuria likely to fight next?
NextSmash model estimate: Justin Gaethje (25%), Arman Tsarukyan (25%), Paddy Pimblett (22%). Updated 1 Oct 2026. These are estimates, not facts or betting advice.
What is Ilia Topuria's record?
17-1-0 (wins-losses-draws) in professional MMA, as listed on UFC.com (checked 1 Oct 2026).
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Other lightweight fighters
- Justin Gaethje C next: Arman Tsarukyan 40%
- Arman Tsarukyan #2 next: Justin Gaethje 40%
- Charles Oliveira #3 next: Diego Lopes 70%
- Max Holloway #4 next: Conor McGregor 25%
- Paddy Pimblett #5 next: Quillan Salkilld 50%
More: Lightweight rankings and next fights · Georgia UFC fighters
Sources
- UFC.com athlete profile (record, rank) · 1 Oct 2026
- UFC.com rankings (Media Panel + Meta boards) · 1 Oct 2026
- MMA Mania: Topuria's coach gives fight-ready date
- MMA Fighting: White says Topuria ready, no decision on opponent
- Sherdog: White says Topuria is ready to fight · 11 Sep 2026
- Punch Junkie: Anik says rematch under 'strong consideration'
- ESPN fight history (Topuria vs Gaethje result) · 1 Oct 2026
- ESPN fighter profile (country) · 1 Oct 2026
Percentages are NextSmash model estimates from the factors shown above (see methodology). They are not facts, and not betting advice. Records and ranks come from UFC.com; country from ESPN. Checked 1 Oct 2026.