Last month, Ilia Topuria announced that he would not be available to compete until the first quarter of 2026 due to personal reasons. Following ‘El Matador’s hiatus declaration, Dana White confirmed the UFC 324 headliner as a showdown between Paddy Pimblett and Justin Gaethje. As the division moves forward with an interim champion, Topuria’s eventual return remains highly anticipated. However, it now appears he may not stay out of the spotlight for long.

Recently, Paddy Pimblett told Carlos Legaspi that Topuria would have to vacate the title if his return gets delayed beyond June or July. But the UFC has not released any official confirmation regarding that possibility. Still, the Liverpudlian has already begun imagining a scenario where he becomes champion without facing the reigning 155-pound king. Amid ‘The Baddy’s comments gaining traction, the Spanish champion stepped forward with an update of his own, revealing that he plans to begin his boxing career soon. 

Ilia Topuria could start his boxing career sooner than expected 

“I’m focused on mixed martial arts, and when I’m finished — which to be honest I don’t think will be too long from now — I’ll make my transition to boxing, and I’m going to surprise more and more people.” Ilia Topuria told Marca, as per MMA Junkie. 

‘El Matador’ has made it clear that he plans to continue pursuing MMA, which means he will return as soon as his personal issues take a backseat. However, Topuria has openly dreamed of becoming a boxer, which raises questions about how many more years he truly wants to spend in the UFC. Moreover, the Georgian-Spaniard has a potential blockbuster boxing matchup waiting for him.

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Ilia Topuria and Terence Crawford have traded verbal shots, and sharing the ring would generate massive money. The real issue is whether Dana White would ever approve it. The UFC currently lacks true global superstars, with only Islam Makhachev, Alex Pereira, Khamzat Chimaev, and Topuria fitting that category. Because of that, it seems highly unlikely the promotion would let him go, unless ‘El Matador’ boxes under the TKO banner.  

Now, whether Topuria moves into boxing or not, only time will tell. For now, at least, he understands that many exciting fights still await him in the division. With that in mind, the former two-division champ reveals some interesting details regarding his return. 

‘El Matador’ says if not Paddy, someone else will get the call  

During the UFC 324 announcement, Dana White clearly stated that the winner of Paddy Pimblett vs Justin Gaethje would receive a guaranteed title shot against Ilia Topuria. However, in a wild twist, ‘El Matador’ revealed that if ‘The Baddy’ wins on January 24, he would gladly take that fight, but the same cannot be said for ‘The Highlight’.

“Whatever he wants to happen to me will be good if Paddy wins. If Justin wins, the UFC has different plans that I can’t talk about at the moment,” Topuria told Carlos Legaspi.

That revelation marks a surprising development. It appears the UFC wants to capitalize on the growing Topuria vs Pimblett rivalry. If not, the promotion could fast-track Topuria into a potential clash with Islam Makhachev at the rumored UFC White House event.

At the very least, that speculation aligns with what fans can infer from the Georgian-Spaniard’s comments. Still, Topuria also made it clear that he would not mind facing Justin Gaethje at the White House next.

“But if I were offered to fight Justin at the White House, it would also be very exciting for me. It would be something I would be very excited about,” Topuria added.

The lightweight division remains as violent as it is unpredictable. No one knows exactly where the title picture will head next. However, one thing does seem clear for now, though. Arman Tsarukyan does not appear to factor into those immediate title shot plans. 

That said, what do you think about Ilia Topuria’s future in the UFC? Will he continue his MMA run or eventually shift his focus to boxing? Let us know in the comments section below.