Ilia Topuria knew this moment was coming.
The featherweight champion is set to defend his title against interim belt holder Justin Gaethje at the UFC White House event, one of the most anticipated cards of 2026.
But Topuria had someone else in mind when he first pictured unifying the division.
Ilia Topuria expected Paddy Pimblett to outwork Justin Gaethje
Back in January, Justin Gaethje secured a unanimous decision win over Paddy Pimblett at UFC 324.
Before the fight, Ilia Topuria felt that ‘The Baddy’ would have the advantage on the ground.
But when it came time to step into the Octagon, Pimblett chose to stand and trade with ‘The Highlight’ instead of using his grappling skills.
Speaking in a recent interview, Topuria said: “I’m surprised because I thought that Paddy was gonna win that fight against Justin.
“I was thinking [to] myself before that fight that I would face Paddy because since the first moment that they announced the White House, I always knew that I would be in that event.
“So, I was like, ‘If Justin is gonna fight Paddy, I’m gonna fight the winner, and I think that Paddy is gonna win that fight.’
“I’m surprised because of that.”
Ilia Topuria was nearly matched up with Islam Makhachev
After Pimblett came up short, Topuria’s focus shifted to a possible bout with Islam Makhachev.
Talks reportedly broke down just a day before the UFC White House card was set to be revealed, leaving fans wondering what might have been.
Makhachev later suggested that it was Topuria who walked away from the negotiations over financial terms.
Dana White pushed back on that narrative, saying it wasn’t accurate. Topuria’s camp also backed him up, defending their position in the talks.
The matchup isn’t happening at the White House event, but there’s little doubt that we’ll see Topuria and Makhachev share the Octagon sometime soon.
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