UFC President Dana White has claimed that Ilia Topuria is ‘ready to fight’ while also playing matchmaker for the former lightweight champ.

Topuria suffered a devastating fourth-round TKO (via corner stoppage) against Justin Gaethje at UFC Freedom 250, which saw him lose his lightweight belt. It was also the first defeat in his professional MMA career.

WASHINGTON, DC – JUNE 15: Ilia Topuria and Justin Gaethje face off in a lightweight title bout during UFC Freedom 250 on the South Lawn of the White House on June 15, 2026 in Washington, DC. President Trump is hosting a series of Ultimate Fighting Championship matches on his 80th birthday, which the White House is calling “a once-in-a-generation celebration of the American fighting spirit.” (Photo by Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images)

The battered 29-year-old also suffered brutal facial injuries in the fight – broken nose and shattered orbital bones.

With doubts surrounding his return to the octagon, Dana White, in an interview with Jim Rome, said that the Georgian-Spaniard is ready to fight and that the UFC is also ready for him. White then went on to name two fights that make sense for Topuria. He said:

Our guys are always in touch with him [Ilia Topuria]. We don’t have him on the schedule right now, but Topuria is ready to fight. We are ready for him.

White added, when asked if a rematch against Gaethje or a fight against Paddy Pimblett is more likely:

They are both great fights. Obviously the rematch with Gaethje is incredible. A Paddy Pimblett fight is amazing.

Check out Dana White’s comments below:

It Took Ilia Topuria Almost 12 weeks to break Social Media Silence After Congratulating Justin Gaethje One Day After His Loss

Only in the first week of September did Ilia Topuria finally break his social media silence. The former champ had sent out a congratulatory message to Justin Gaethje a day after the latter’s win, and then went on an internet hiatus.

Taking to Instagram, Topuria penned an emotional letter, addressing his son Hugo, in which he highlighted the bright side of his defeat to ‘The Highlight.’ A part of his letter read:

Hugo, I’ve been thinking about you these past two days. About what you felt when you saw me go down. I know it hurt you. And as your dad, I would’ve done anything to spare you from that moment. But I’m also glad we went through it together because that day made us both stronger. I want you to always remember one thing: you won’t always win in life, and that’s ok. Because losing isn’t what matters. What matters is how you lose. Who you choose to be when everything goes dark. When you have to choose between staying on the ground and getting back up.

Check out the post below:

Gerard Crispin

Gerard Crispin is an editor and writer with expertise across MMA, Football, Tennis, Cricket, NBA and F1. He has published over 3500 articles in Combat Sports, across multiple websites, viz. Sportskeeda, FanSided MMA, MediaReferee, FirstSportz and PFSN. Crispin currently covers UFC for LowKickMMA.