Ilia Topuria - News & Rumors - UFC

UFC brings cage-match bout to the White House, home of a president who favors cage-match politics

President Donald Trump is hosting a UFC fight on White House grounds to celebrate his 80th birthday and the nation’s 250th anniversary

3 DAYS AGO • Associated Press

Ilia Topuria follows Khabib Nurmagomedov's footsteps as he partners with luxury watch company Ilia Topuria seems to be one of the biggest names in the world, and big brands are doing all they can to grab a slice of the undefeated UFC star.

5 DAYS AGO • SPORTSKEEDA.COM

Dana White reveals shocking attendance numbers for UFC White House event The historic UFC White House event is coming to Washington D.C. in 2026 and Dana White revealed how many lucky MMA fans will be attending. U...

MARCH 13 • THEBIGLEAD.COM

Did Arman Tsarukyan advise Justin Gaethje to pull out of Ilia Topuria fight? The Armenian contender talks about UFC White House main event Arman Tsarukyan recently offered a blunt response when asked about the upcoming lightweight title fight between Ilia Topuria and Justin Gaethje.

MARCH 13 • SPORTSKEEDA.COM

Justin Gaethje and other UFC stars to lead training exercise at the FBI Academy

Interim lightweight champion Justin Gaethje will be among several UFC fighters who will demonstrate their training techniques to academy students and FBI staff at the FBI Special A...

MARCH 12 • Associated Press

"That's a scrap" - Paddy Pimblett issues bold preview of Ilia Topuria vs. Justin Gaethje fight at UFC White House Paddy Pimblett recently shared his thoughts on the upcoming Ilia Topuria vs. Justin Gaethje fight and shared a bold preview.

MARCH 10 • SPORTSKEEDA.COM

Headlining White House card Topuria will unify the UFC Lightweight Championship against Justin Gaethje in the main event of the UFC White House card scheduled for June 14.

Impact Topuria took the lightweight belt against Charles Oliveira back in June of 2025 but then took some time off for personal reasons, and the UFC held an interim fight in which Justin Gaethje defeated Paddy Pimblett. Now set to return on one of the UFC's biggest stages ever, Topuria enters as the biggest betting favorite on the card, looking to improve his spotless MMA record to 18-0-0. "El Matador" has been nothing but dominant since joining the UFC in 2020, as he's earned six post-fight bonuses in a row with five finishes in that stretch. He'll give up a little bit of height and reach to Gaethje, a relentlessly high-volume striker, but also an aging fighter who often subjects himself to unnecessary damage in order to land his own offense. Both offer some wrestling chops, but they'll likely negate each other in that area. Overall, it's an incredible bit of matchmaking fit for the White House front lawn. It will almost certainly end with one man hitting the canvas.

MARCH 8 • ROTOWIRE

How to live stream UFC 326: Holloway vs Oliveira 2, TV channel Saturday night’s UFC 326 card is topped by a blockbuster main event, with Max Holloway defending the BMF belt against submission specialist...

MARCH 8 • THEBIGLEAD.COM

3 Reasons the Holloway vs. Oliveira 2 Winner Should Fight Ilia Topuria After UFC 326 The UFC’s “BMF” belt will be on the line this weekend, but Max Holloway and Charles Oliveira both seem more interested in fighting for a dif...

MARCH 6 • SI.COM

"He'd have you eating through a straw" - Fans slam Nate Diaz for recent comments about Ilia Topuria Nate Diaz stirred a wave of strong reactions online this week for his comments about Ilia Topuria.

MARCH 1 • SPORTSKEEDA.COM

"I never was fan of his fight style" - Ilia Topuria snubs Khabib Nurmagomedov from his MMA top 5 list It seems Ilia Topuria doesn't rate Khabib Nurmagomedov's MMA skills as highly as many in the mixed martial arts world do.

FEBRUARY 27 • SPORTSKEEDA.COM

"Greatest scenario for me" - Ilia Topuria pitches bold new belt concept for a potential fight against Islam Makhachev Ilia Topuria has outlined an ambitious plan for a potential fight with Islam Makhachev. He also suggested terms that would raise the stakes of the bout beyond a regular fight.

FEBRUARY 27 • SPORTSKEEDA.COM

Arman Tsarukyan claims he will buy Ilia Topuria's house under one condition Arman Tsarukyan has taken a new approach in his pursuit of taking on Ilia Topuria. The lightweight contender used Topuria’s ongoing personal situation to prod him toward a title fi...

JANUARY 28 • SPORTSKEEDA.COM

Kamaru Usman and Henry Cejudo want Ilia Topuria vs. Justin Gaethje as UFC White House main event Dana White has a huge call to make on who headlines the UFC White House event.

JANUARY 26 • SPORTSKEEDA.COM

Gaethje upsets Pimblett to win interim lightweight title at UFC 324

Justin Gaethje defeated Paddy Pimblett by unanimous decision to win the interim lightweight title at UFC 324

JANUARY 25 • Associated Press

UFC 324: Justin Gaethje vs. Paddy Pimblett headline first Paramount+ card

Justin Gaethje and Paddy Pimblett headline the UFC's first card on Paramount+ this Saturday

JANUARY 22 • Associated Press

UFC Champion Ilia Topuria provides first clear update on plans for UFC return fight Ilia Topuria has finally shared an update regarding when fans can expect to see him return to the Octagon and defend his UFC title.

JANUARY 17 • SI.COM

Ilia Topuria reveals his UFC return timeline and opponent Ilia Topuria hasn't fought since securing the lightweight title with a first-round KO win over Charles Oliveira at UFC 317 in June 2025.

JANUARY 17 • SPORTSKEEDA.COM

"Ilia is a phenomenal athlete" - Merab Dvalishvili gets honest about Ilia Topuria's chances against Islam Makhachev at welterweight Merab Dvalishvili recently shared his thoughts on a potential Islam Makhachev vs. Ilia Topuria super fight and issued an intriguing preview.

JANUARY 16 • SPORTSKEEDA.COM

"I am open to it" - Islam Makhachev lays down conditions for fight against Ilia Topuria Islam Makhachev hasn’t ruled out facing Ilia Topuria in what is considered as one of the biggest fights the UFC can make.

JANUARY 15 • SPORTSKEEDA.COM

"I love how scared I'll be" - Justin Gaethje gets real about potential Ilia Topuria clash after facing Paddy Pimblett at UFC 324 Justin Gaethje recently shared his thoughts on a potential Ilia Topuria fight and spoke about his mindset going into what may be his last-ev...

JANUARY 2 • SPORTSKEEDA.COM

"You're a joke" - Arman Tsarukyan skeptical of Ilia Topuria's "family issues" excuse following hostile interview Ilia Topuria is currently on hiatus from MMA amid personal issues and a rumored divorce.

DECEMBER 23, 2025 • SPORTSKEEDA.COM

Ali Abdelaziz says Ilia Topuria deserves no support after comments about Khabib Nurmagomedov and Islam Makhachev Dominance MMA founder and MMA manager Ali Abdelaziz took offense to some comments made by Ilia Topuria recent on Khabib Nurmagomedov and Isl...

DECEMBER 22, 2025 • SPORTSKEEDA.COM

"They're so cocky and arrogant" - Ilia Topuria wants to submit Islam Makhachev in front of Khabib Nurmagomedov McAfee, push, security

DECEMBER 22, 2025 • SPORTSKEEDA.COM

Undefeated UFC champ 'stepping away' from fighting, citing extortion plot against him Undefeated UFC lightweight champion Ilia Topuria will "step away" from fighting due to an alleged extortion plot against him, he announced i...

DECEMBER 17, 2025 • CLEVELAND.COM

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UFC brings cage-match bout to the White House, home of a president who favors cage-match politics

Justin Gaethje and other UFC stars to lead training exercise at the FBI Academy

Gaethje upsets Pimblett to win interim lightweight title at UFC 324

UFC 324: Justin Gaethje vs. Paddy Pimblett headline first Paramount+ card