The UFC’s lightweight champion has posted a statement to address his return plans.
While Topuria has recently announced a huge partnership with Cristiano Ronaldo, that isn’t the news fans were hoping for from the undefeated star.
‘El Matador’ hasn’t fought since he successfully moved up to the lightweight division and won the title in June after vacating his featherweight belt.
A recent update stated that Topuria wouldn’t be fighting on the UFC’s first big event of 2026, which many believed he was being saved for.
The 28-year-old has now confirmed this while explaining why he’s going to be out of action for the next few months.
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Ilia Topuria releases a statement on social media about his plans in 2026
Ilia Topuria isn’t going to be returning to the UFC in the first quarter of 2026 due to other priorities in his personal life.
The undefeated champion of lightweights confirmed this recently when he posted a statement to X in response to people asking when his next bout will be.
His division certainly isn’t short on contenders, with Arman Tsarukyan calling Topuria out following his recent win in the main event of UFC Qatar.
However, the titleholder’s comments state that he’s more than willing for the promotion to take his delayed return into account when putting together new matchups.
“I won’t be fighting in the first quarter of next year,” Topuria wrote. “I’m going through a difficult moment in my personal life. I want to focus on my children and resolve this situation as soon as possible. I don’t want to hold up the division. The UFC will make the matchups needed, and as soon as the matters are resolved I’ll let the UFC know I’m ready to begin my return.”
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