“I can finish Ilia”: UFC war of words heats up as fighters vie for Topuria title shot
With hopes fading of a dream clash between Ilia Topuria and Islam Makhachev, the question is: who will the lightweight champion fight next?
Ilia Topuria’s electrifying win over Charles Oliveira for the vacant UFC lightweight title has catapulted the Spanish-Georgian fighter into the upper echelon of MMA stardom.
While fans had long hoped for a showdown between “El Matador” and previous champ Islam Makhachev, that dream matchup now seems increasingly unlikely. Still, Topuria isn’t short on challengers - and the post-fight buzz made that crystal clear.
Two names have emerged as serious contenders: British fan-favorite Paddy Pimblett, a longtime rival of Topuria’s, and Armenia’s Arman Tsarukyan, currently ranked third in the lightweight division behind Topuria and Makhachev.
Tsarukyan wasted no time after Topuria’s victory, firing off a pointed message on social media: “It was never supposed to be Charles. I can finish Ilia, simple as that. And he knows it too. That’s why he’s avoiding the real #1 contender.
It was never supposed to be Charles. I can finish Ilia, simple as that. And he knows it too. That’s why he’s avoiding the real #1 contender.
— Arman Tsarukyan UFC (@ArmanUfc) June 29, 2025
“He cannot jump ahead of me”
In an interview with MMA journalist Ariel Helwani, Tsarukyan then doubled down, insisting that he’s in front of Pimblett in the line of title contenders.
“Dana [White, the UFC CEO] said [Paddy] is not next [for a title fight] and he shouldn’t be there [in the Octagon after Topuria’s win],” Tsarukyan said. “Paddy, he is a good fighter, but he doesn’t deserve to fight for the title. He cannot jump ahead of me in the fight for the title.”
The 28-year-old added that he’d be open to facing Gaethje or Pimblett in a pre-Topuria warm-up fight, declaring that either opponent would represent “easy money”.
“Never fought anyone in their prime”
But Tsarukyan didn’t stop there. On Friday, he took another jab at Topuria, questioning the legitimacy of his championship run: “Fun fact of the day: Ilia Topuria never fought anyone in their prime.”
Fun fact of the day: @Topuriailia never fought anyone in their prime
— Arman Tsarukyan UFC (@ArmanUfc) July 4, 2025
Topuria, never one to back down, clapped back during a press conference in Las Vegas: “He’s basically saying I shouldn’t fight him because he’s not in his prime. He hasn’t shown anything since his last fight. He thinks talking will get him somewhere, but he’s on ice for a reason.”
Topuria also took a shot at Tsarukyan’s past withdrawal from a title opportunity: “Imagine getting the chance to fight for a world championship and pulling out because of back pain. I can’t relate.
“I would’ve stepped into the cage with Volk [Alexander Volkanovski] or [Max] Holloway with one arm if I had to.”
Tsarukyan fired back on X: “Another fun fact: Topuria regularly misses weight. So spare us the fairytales about fighting with one arm. You pulled out from fighting Charles Jourdain, hermanito…”
With tensions boiling over, one thing is clear: the lightweight division is heating up, and Topuria’s next move could define the future of the UFC’s most competitive weight class.
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