Ilia Topuria vs. WHO? 👀🔥 Ilia Topuria has posted a poll on his Instagram, asking fans to choose his next opponent between Justin Gaethje and Paddy Pimblett. [ via @iliatopuria h/t tearsofgold ]
Ilia Topuria has handed the choice of his next opponent to his followers, posting an Instagram poll that asks fans to pick between Justin Gaethje and Paddy Pimblett.
The poll is a social media gesture, not a booking, and no fight has been announced with either man. It does put two familiar names in front of the lightweight No. 1 as he looks to move on from his most recent recorded fight.
Topuria, 29, is 17-1-0 and sits at the top of the lightweight rankings and the pound-for-pound list. The Spaniard fights out of Climent Club and has built his record on precise, heavy hands: he lands 4.81 significant strikes per minute at 48 percent accuracy, and adds 1.96 takedowns per 15 minutes. His lone loss came at UFC Freedom 250 on June 14, 2026, when Gaethje stopped him in the fourth round of a title fight.
Gaethje, 37, is the lightweight champion at 28-5-0. That win over Topuria followed a unanimous decision over Pimblett at UFC 324 on January 24, 2026, so he has beaten both men in the poll within the last year. The American out-lands everyone in this group on volume, at 6.48 significant strikes per minute with 58 percent accuracy.
Pimblett, 31, is 24-4-0 and ranked fifth at lightweight. The Englishman went the full five rounds with Gaethje at UFC 324 and bounced back with a first-round submission of Benoit Saint Denis at UFC 329 on July 11, 2026, his most recent recorded fight. He lands 5.48 significant strikes per minute at 52 percent accuracy and averages 1.4 submission attempts per 15 minutes.
Why it matters
- Gaethje is a direct rematch: he holds the belt and the only knockout loss on Topuria's record, which came less than five months before the poll.
- Pimblett would be a first meeting, and a sizable frame difference: he stands 5 feet 10 inches to Topuria's 5 feet 7, and his 73-inch reach is four inches longer than Topuria's 69.
- Pimblett's submission rate is 1.4 attempts per 15 minutes, compared with Topuria's 1.1, while Topuria shoots for takedowns nearly three times as often (1.96 to 0.68).
Neither fighter has commented publicly on the poll, and it is unclear how much weight the results will carry.
