Reigning 155-lb king Ilia Topuria has several high-profile opponents for his first title defense later this year.
Topuria Captured Lightweight Throne in Spectacular Fashion
Vacating his previous throne at featherweight after a dominant knockout win over Max Holloway, Topuria opted to relinquish his championship in an effort to move up a division to chase a second belt. This effort delivered him into a main event clash with promotional legend Charles Oliveira at UFC 317 as the closing act for International Fight Week. Demonstrating his absurd punching power once again, the Spaniard flattened the accomplished Brazilian, stopping “Do Bronx” in the first round after landing a devastating left hook. The win not only made Topuria the new lightweight gold standard, it also made him the first fighter in UFC history to score two championships in two different weight categories while being undefeated.
Widely-recognized as the pound-for-pound best competitor on the planet, Topuria stands as arguably the greatest star in the UFC, having headlined three pay-per-view events in a row, picking up knockout triumphs in all of them. Now back on top, “El Matador” finds himself with a short list of amazing contenders that he could face in the first defense of his belt. From one outspoken Englishman to a former interim champion, Topuria will have no shortage of stalwart opposition to tangle with for his freshman outing as the 155-lb apex sometime in late 2025.
These are the three fighters that Topuria might face for his first lightweight title defense:
Top Lightweight Contenders: Paddy Pimblett
For a couple of years now, a budding rivalry between Topuria and English mixed martial artist Paddy Pimblett has been brewing, which has seen the two get into all manner of confrontations, such as attacking each other at fighter hotels and trading verbal barbs at press conferences. They also have spoken about taking on one another in the Octagon for quite some time, as proven evident by their notable back-and-forths on X. Following Topuria’s win at UFC 317, Pimblett was called to enter the cage for a faceoff with the newly-crowned Topuria, resulting in the German native to shove his fellow European in what will surely be used for an inevitable pay-per-view promo.
Unbeaten since 2018, Pimblett has enjoyed a meteoric rise in the world of combat sports off the back of a nine-fight winning streak. Arriving in the UFC back in 2021, “The Baddy” has become a bona fide contender at 155-lb, as demonstrated by his recent victories over Tony Ferguson, King Green and Michael Chandler.
Possessing one of the top undefeated periods in the division, Pimblett presents a unique challenge for Topuria, as the Scouser has never been bested by strikes in his 26-bout professional career, which has been the champion’s main mode of victory in his past three scraps.
Top Lightweight Contenders: Justin Gaethje
When it comes to naming the staple athletes of the upper echelon at lightweight, Justin Gaethje will always be one of the first fighters that comes to mind. A fixture of the weight class since 2017, “The Highlight” has garnered an electrifying reputation with fans, having earned a bonus in nearly every one of his UFC appearances.
The Colorado native has also defeated some of the greatest competitors in the organization’s history like Tony Ferguson, Donald Cerrone, Edson Barboza and Dustin Poirier. He also once held the interim 155-lb championship after stopping the aforementioned Ferguson in the fifth round at UFC 249.
Recently, Gaethje has begun to stake his claim toward a shot at the throne after his win over Rafael Fiziev at UFC 313. Adding a massive ultimatum for the UFC to grant his request, the 36-year old adamantly stated that if he does not get his opportunity to vie for the belt, then he would retire. While promotional CEO Dana White was less than amused with Gaethje’s words, the perennial top 10 contender boasts a few unique challenges for Topuria, such as his equally destructive power and non-stop forward pressure.
Should he get his wish, it will be Gaethje’s third undisputed title fight in the UFC after falling to both Khabib Nurmagomedov and Charles Oliveira previously.
Top Lightweight Contenders: Arman Tsarukyan
Emerging as a phenom in the lightweight class as of late, Arman Tsarukyan had already nailed down his chance to contend for the lightweight strap back in January at UFC 311. Victorious in his past four bouts, the Armenian had beaten divisional standouts Beneil Dariush and Charles Oliveira to claim the mantle of being called the number one contender in the weight category. Gearing up for a rematch with then champion Islam Makhachev, Tsarukyan was unexpectedly axed from the card after developing a nagging back injury.
Although he has fallen to the number two spot in the 155-lb rankings, Tsarukyan may still hold the only genuine right to challenge Topuria for the belt, considering he was supposed to battle Makhachev when he held the throne. Already “Akhalkalakets” has begun to call out the new lightweight king over social media, adding a little bit of fuel to what could play out as a very explosive contest between two of the hardest hitting men in the division.
It was never supposed to be Charles. I can finish Ilia, simple as that. And he knows it too. That’s why he’s avoiding the real #1 contender.
— Arman Tsarukyan UFC (@ArmanUfc) June 29, 2025
They also once hailed from Georgia, meaning their duel would be a matchup between former countrymen.
