Ilia Topuria's comeback has a green light from the UFC — or at least, that is what Dana White says.
“Topuria's ready to fight. We're ready for him.”
Appearing on The Jim Rome Show earlier this month, the UFC CEO revealed that the promotion is in regular contact with the former two-division champion and believes he is ready to fight again.
"Our guys are always in touch with them," White said. "We don't have him on the schedule right now, but listen, Topuria's ready to fight. We're ready for him."
When Rome pressed him on the opponent — a rematch with Justin Gaethje or the long-simmering grudge match with Paddy Pimblett — White refused to pick a favorite.
"Both sound good to me. They're both great. We don't lose with either one of those fights," White said. "Obviously, the rematch with Gaethje is incredible, and a Paddy Pimblett fight is amazing, as bad as those two hate each other."
But there is a wrinkle in the story, and it comes from inside Topuria's own camp.
Topuria's physical trainer, Jesus Gallo, pushed back on White's timeline, telling MMA journalist Jorge Ebro that a comeback is not currently the focus — and that Topuria has not even started a proper MMA training camp.
"That is news to me," Gallo said. "I don't know what [Dana] is referring to or what information he is using to make that kind of announcement. Right now, we are focused on starting to train and being able to re-establish a training camp. At this moment, [a return fight] is not our focus."
It is a striking disconnect: the UFC CEO talking opponents while the fighter's own camp says there is no camp.
The rematch would be the biggest — and most complicated — option. Gaethje handed Topuria the first loss of his career at UFC Freedom 250 in June, when Topuria's corner stopped the fight before the final round after sustained punishment that left Topuria with fractured orbital bones.
Gaethje has dismissed the idea of an immediate rematch — and has pushed back on the quit narrative itself, saying Topuria did not quit on the stool, that his body was compromised and his coaches made the call. UFC commentator Jon Anik has said the promotion held internal discussions about staging the rematch.
The Pimblett fight might be the one the fans want most. The two have traded hostility for years without ever being booked against each other, and Pimblett just reminded everyone how dangerous he is, submitting Benoit Saint Denis in 52 seconds at UFC 329 in July.
Pimblett started the year on a rough note, dropping an interim lightweight title fight to Gaethje at UFC 324, but the 52-second finish kept him in the top 10 and firmly in the conversation.
Pimblett himself is up for it. "I'd love to smash his head in, but we need to wait and see," he said recently — while cautioning that nothing is booked: "No one spoke to me about it, so we'll see what happens."
For now, neither fight is booked and White has committed to nothing beyond enthusiasm. Topuria remains one of the biggest draws in the sport, and his first comeback fight will be one of the most-watched moments of the year — whenever it happens.
The question White left hanging is the same one now facing Topuria: is the fastest way back through revenge, or through a brand-new rivalry?
