Ilia Topuria hasn’t lost a shred of confidence throughout his unexpected hiatus.
Returns don’t get much bigger for the reigning UFC lightweight champion, who’s preparing for a trip to Washington, D.C. as the UFC White House headliner on June 14. Since talk of the event began last year, speculation abounded about a spectacle to celebrate the 250th birthday of the United States — and more specifically, the literal 80th birthday of sitting U.S. President Donald Trump. Ultimately, Topuria won the sweepstakes, signing on to make his first 155-pound title defense against interim champ Justin Gaethje.
Advertisement
Speaking Monday on “The Ariel Helwani Show,” Topuria explained what he believes to be the reason for his placement atop one of the UFC’s most ambitious events in its 32-year history.
“It may sound a little bit cocky, but I feel that I’m one of the biggest names right now that the UFC has,” Topuria told Uncrowned. “If they are going to have one of the biggest events in their history, they are going to have — they have to have their biggest stars on the card. So I knew it since the first moment that that event was announced, that I will be on that card.”
Topuria, 29, hasn’t fought since claiming lightweight gold in a vacant title bid against former champion Charles Oliveira at UFC 317 last June. Initially targeted to help launch the promotion’s new deal with Paramount in January, Topuria instead took a brief leave of absence to deal with personal issues related to his separation from his longtime partner.
Advertisement
But lofty goals have long been at the forefront of Topuria’s mind. Undefeated since the start of his professional run in 2015, Topuria (17-0) relinquished his UFC featherweight title in April 2025 when he made the permanent move to his current division. For the UFC White House card, rumors swirled that he might repeat his recent history, moving up in weight once again to pursue welterweight gold against Islam Makhachev.
This time would have been different, Topuria said Monday. Unlike his featherweight departure, he would have returned to lightweight after challenging Makhachev, regardless of how his attempt to claim triple-champion status went.
It didn’t matter in the end, as once again a superfight with Makhachev failed to materialize, marking the second time that’s occurred — the first being when Makhachev left the lightweight division in 2025, opening the door for Topuria’s vacant title bout.
“Listen, I don’t know the real story,” Topuria said of why the Makhachev fight was unable to come together. “What I know is that the first phone call that I got [from UFC], I had two options: Islam and Justin Gaethje. We said we want Islam because it’s a bigger fight and all that. Then, the day before they were about to announce the event, they called me in the middle of the night, they wake me up and they told me, ‘Islam is injured. Something happened with his hand or whatever, and you are going to fight Justin.’ [My manager] Malki Kawa had to go through a lot of negotiations with every fight that we close. And finally, I’m fighting Justin. That’s the story from my side. That’s all I know.
Advertisement
“Whatever happens, it’s good for me. If it’s Islam? Good. It’s Justin? Good. The result is going to be the same.”
Makhachev has yet to defend his 170-pound title after a dominant unanimous decision over Jack Della Maddalena at UFC 322 in November. Had Topuria gotten the chance to follow his fellow pound-for-pound great, he firmly believes he’d do the unthinkable once again.
“When I get the opportunity to fight with someone, I always think about what can I do to really shock the world,” Topuria said. “So with Islam, I’m like, to shock the world, I have to submit him. So this is what I think that’s going to happen. I’m going to take him down, and I’m going to submit him.
Advertisement
“Don’t be surprised when you’re going to see that happen. He’s good. Everyone is good. Justin is good. Alex [Volkanovski] is good. Charles is good. Max [Holloway] is good. Everyone is good. But I’m different.”
Until one of the UFC’s two top champions fall from their thrones, Makhachev vs. Topuria will remain the peak fantasy fight of this era. Thankfully, lightweight always offers intriguing title fights at the top of the division, despite not having seen a champion lose their belt inside the Octagon since Conor McGregor dethroned Eddie Alvarez in 2016.
Topuria’s first challenger fits the underdog role in historic fashion ahead of the UFC’s White House event. Gaethje is a massive underdog at present, with Topuria currently listed as the -1000 betting favorite, according to BetMGM.
Consider it business as usual for the thus-far unbeatable “Matador.”
Ilia Topuria is one of the top pound-for-pound fighters is the world.
(Ian Maule via Getty Images)
“If he’s not going to start walking backward, I’m going to knock him out in the first round,” Topuria said of Gaethje. “As I always say, I feel that no one can match my level of skills inside the Octagon. And when I say that, they start calling me cocky, that I’m this, that I’m that. But prove me wrong. It didn’t happen yet.”
Advertisement
Gaethje claimed the interim lightweight title at the UFC’s aforementioned January event, when he met Topuria’s longstanding rival, Paddy Pimblett, at UFC 324.
Gaethje and Pimblett battled for the full 25 minutes, bloodying each other in a typical Gaethje effort. The loss snapped Pimblett’s undefeated momentum that dated back to his UFC debut, and in the mind of the champion, drastically exposed England’s “Baddy.”
What was once an easy grudge match with Pimblett to make for the UFC matchmakers is all but a pipe dream at this point, says Topuria.
“I was a little surprised of how bad Paddy really is,” Topuria said.
Advertisement
“I was expecting him to win, be honest. I was expecting him to take Justin down, to — I don’t know — do a different fight. Like to really fight. But what he did inside the Octagon in that fight, it surprised me a little bit. He really proved that he’s a little sausage.”
Topuria doesn’t necessarily believe the loss will spell the end for Pimblett, but he’s confident it marks the last chance Pimblett ever works his way back to the title.
“Rebound from what? From a loss? Of course, but how he’s going to gain the skills, the technique in the sport [to compete for a UFC championship]? Like, that’s basically impossible. He needs to die and be born again,” Topuria said.
“Now he’s too far [away in contention for us ever to fight]. We don’t see Paddy in the horizon. We don’t see him anymore. Bye, Paddy. I didn’t even have to go inside the Octagon to beat him. So that feels even a little bit better, to be honest.”
Justin Gaethje (left) battered Paddy Pimblett in their January title bout.
(Chris Unger via Getty Images)
Aside from Topuria’s exclusion from the January title bout, the absence of top-ranked contender Arman Tsarukyan from UFC 324 was also a glaring omission. The Armenian had recently extended his UFC win streak to five straight after a second-round submission of Dan Hooker.
Advertisement
The interim title’s creation added a hitch to the entire lightweight landscape. But if Tsarukyan had been next up for Topuria, the champ wouldn’t have complained.
“As I said in many interviews, I just got the call. They offered me Islam or Justin. I picked Islam, then they told me that Islam was injured. I was told that I was facing Justin,” Topuria said. “If they call me tomorrow and they tell me that Justin is injured and I have to fight Arman, I will fight Arman. No problem. If they call me and they tell me that Arman is injured, I have to fight [Uncrowned’s] Ariel [Helwani], I’m going to fight Ariel. No problem. I go whoever, whenever.”
Tsarukyan has significantly ramped up his antics and social media presence outside of the UFC since he first emerged as a potential title challenger in 2024. He’s become one of the biggest stars to consistently compete in RAF wrestling matches, while interjecting himself into as many other side-quest-like combat competitions as he can.
Still, Topuria couldn’t care less for his potential future rival.
Advertisement
“I’m really impressed with how dumb he is. He’s a r*****. I don’t know. He looks like a kid. He’s a kid. Like his mentality, he’s dumb as f***. I don’t know — everything that I saw about him in the internet, it’s embarrassing, a little bit,” Topuria said.
“F*** Arman. Who cares about him? The thing that I don’t like is when they play that ‘they’re rich’ [card] and they show all that money. It’s like, bro, you’re not even rich. You’re that poor that the only thing that you have is money, and you’re spending your father’s money, not even yours. So you know what I mean, he’s a f***ing kid. You know how they play all that, like they’re all gangsters? When we cross paths, they are like, ‘Oh, how are you? All good?’ They smile. They’re like humble, normal human beings. But on Twitter, everyone is a gangster. Everyone is like, ‘Oh, let’s solve this in the street and all that.’ Bro, I’m a professional athlete. I’m not a street fighter. I’m not a gangster. I don’t know if it’s for show. I think it’s because they are dumb as f***.
“He’s not on my level. If we cross paths, I’m going to break his jaw in the first round. What is he going to do? He’s going to take me down? Please, listen to me. Calm down, calm down — do your thing. Go to those wrestling tournaments. Do your streams. Whenever the moment that arrives, just make sure to show up, and I’m going to do the rest. The little weasel.”
