The biggest moment in the UFC in 2026 took place in the lightweight division. Justin Gaethje defied the odds and put together one of the greatest challenger performances ever against then-champion Ilia Topuria.
Gaethje headlined UFC Freedom 250, the historic fight card held on the South Lawn of the White House. As an underdog, Gaethje looked his best. He landed huge blows on Topuria, ultimately causing orbital fractures to a striker widely regarded as the best in the world.
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It was a true fairy-tale result for Gaethje: he won the title he’d pursued for nearly a decade, doing so while representing America at his best.
Since the historic result, Gaethje’s next opponent has been a mystery. Some thought it would be Arman Tsarukyan, but he’s booked for UFC 331 against Mauricio Ruffy.
Charles Oliveira has a win over Gaethje but is widely rumored to fight Diego Lopes toward the end of the year. The rest of 155 pounds is wide open. Salahdine Parnasse just inserted himself as an instant contender after TKO’ing Dan Hooker in the first round.
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Lightweight is as fun as it’s ever been, but there’s just no indication of who will face Gaethje as he walks to make his first title defense. That was until the voice of the UFC gave an update on the top of the division.
Jon Anik says Ilia Topuria rematch could be in play
On his “Anik and Florian Podcast,” UFC play-by-play commentator Jon Anik dropped an update on the state of the lightweight division, detailing who Justin Gaethje could face next.
“I think there are internal conversations to potentially try to do Gaethje vs Topuria 2. A rematch would be absolutely enormous, and I guess, predictively, that’s what I think is going to happen.”
If there is anyone who’d have an idea about what’s being talked about in-house, it’d be Anik. Few people are closer to the UFC brass and know the day-to-day like Anik.
This rematch would be a spectacle, and it’s a fight that can never be stylistically disappointing. That said, Topuria-Gaethje 2 isn’t the right fight to make. Topuria never defended the lightweight title, and there’s a heated matchup that has to take place instead.
Topuria’s next opponent should be Paddy Pimblett. The two contenders are heated rivals and have had beef since 2021.
Topuria and Pimblett were on the same UFC London card back in 2021; the two fighters had to be separated at the press conference. Furthermore, they almost fought in a hotel lobby, where Pimblett famously threw a hand sanitizer bottle at Topuria.
Topuria vs Pimblett as a No. 1 contender fight is the biggest non-title fight the UFC can make right now.
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