As per rumours, Ilia Topuria will vacate his UFC light-weight championship and received’t return till spring 2026. Álvaro Colmenero says Topuria won’t struggle in January or February subsequent 12 months, as followers had anticipated.
House or Battle on X, amongst different retailers, re-shared this information:
“In accordance with Alvaro Colmenero, Ilia Topuria will NOT be combating in January or February to defend his light-weight title, and predicts his subsequent struggle shall be in spring [March – June]. “Issues have modified quite a bit. There have been personal conditions, and also you’re going to be very stunned at what’s going to occur in light-weight. I can verify that Ilia won’t struggle in January. February? I doubt it quite a bit. In the event you ask me, I believe Ilia will struggle in spring.”
[Note: As of the time of writing this article, nothing has been confirmed by the UFC or Ilia Topuria.]
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‘El Matador’ vacated his UFC featherweight championship after defending it as soon as by knocking out Max Holloway. In pursuit of light-weight gold, Topuria moved up and wished to struggle then-champion Islam Makhachev. Makhachev vs. Topuria was a completed deal till Belal Muhammad misplaced his title to Jack Della Maddalena at UFC 315, after which the Russian fighter vacated his 155-pound championship and moved as much as 170-pounds.
Alternatively, Topuria captured the vacant strap by knocking out former champion Charles Oliveira at UFC 317. For Topuria’s first title defense at 155 kilos, he was rumoured to struggle Justin Gaethje or Paddy Pimblett. The bout was alleged to be the primary UFC PPV principal occasion of 2026 and in addition the primary occasion on Paramount+.
Ilia Topuria Confirms Subsequent Transfer Heading Into 2026
In an interview with Álvaro Colmenero, earlier this month, Ilia Topuria said that he needs to struggle Islam Makhachev for a pound-for-pound title at catchweight. Makhachev not too long ago grew to become a two-division champion after he dethroned Jack Della Maddalena at UFC 322. With that win, he additionally dethroned Topuria because the P4P king and took the throne. Topuria needs it again and needs the UFC to create a brand new belt. Within the aforementioned interview, he mentioned :
“Possibly I’ll have yet another struggle, after which in the summertime there’s a date when [the UFC] can let me transfer as much as welterweight. Or perhaps they’ll create a brand new belt known as the ‘pound-for-pound title,’ at a catchweight and I’ll struggle for [it].”
Try Ilia Topuria’s feedback beneath:
