Ilia Topuria briefly leaves the competition.
The current UFC lightweight champion released a statement on social media on Thursday, explaining why he won’t be walking into the octagon anytime soon. Topuria wrote that she is “going through a difficult time in my personal life” and that “I want to focus on my children and resolve this situation as soon as possible.”
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See Topuria’s full statement below, in which he added that he doesn’t “want to delay the split.”
“I will not be fighting in the first quarter of next year. I am going through a difficult time in my personal life. I want to focus on my children and resolve this situation as soon as possible.
“I don’t want to delay the division. The UFC will make the necessary matchups and as soon as matters are resolved I will let the UFC know that I am ready to begin my return.”
Undefeated Topuria (17-0) had an eventful 2025. Following momentous knockout victories over Max Holloway and Alexander Volkanovski in featherweight championship fights in 2024, Topuria announced his plans to move up to the lightweight division to potentially challenge then-champion Islam Makhachev. However, Makhachev decided to make his own move, jumping to welterweight and leaving Topuria to face Charles Oliveira for a vacant 155-pound title at UFC 317 last June. Topuria defeated Oliveira via first-round knockout to claim the vacant belt and become the 10th fighter in UFC history to win titles in two divisions.
He is currently ranked No. 2 in MMA Fighting’s pound-for-pound rankings, behind only Makhachev, who became the UFC’s 11th two-division champion with a dominant decision victory over Jack Della Maddalena at UFC 322.
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There is currently no shortage of vocal contenders at lightweight, with long-time fan favorite Justin Gaethje and Topuria rival Paddy Pimblett both publicly campaigning for the opportunity. Now, it looks like both will have to wait at least until April for the chance to face “El Matador.”