After knocking out Charles “Do Bronx” Oliveira at UFC 317 in Las Vegas, Ilia Topuria has opened up the potential for many future title fights with several names. Not only did the Spaniard keep true to his word with his win, but he gave new life to the UFC’s lightweight division following the departure of former champion, Islam Makhachev. Despite only having one KO victory before signing to the UFC, Topuria has become a knockout machine with seven of his nine wins in the octagon ending with his hands. 

With a new champion and matchups being made, there are three names that come up when deciding the next challenger for El Matador. 

Arman Tsarukyan

Despite not being in good graces with the UFC at the moment, the number one lightweight contender has earned his shot at the title with victories over names like Joel Álvarez, Beneil Dariush, and former champion, Charles Oliveira. With his wrestling pedigree in combination with destructive striking, Tsarukyan has proved to be a credible threat to the reign of Ilia Topuria. 

However, there have been certain claims for other names to match against the Lightweight champion instead of Tsarukyan. While he has proved to be a tough matchup for any lightweight on the UFC roster, Tsarukyan’s last fight was more than a year ago at UFC 300 against Charles Oliveira. Despite getting his hand raised against the former champion, it wasn’t without controversy as Oliveira took the number one lightweight contender to a split decision with many fans believing it should have gone the other way. 

Also, UFC President Dana White has seemingly turned against Tsarukyan after he pulled out of his scheduled fight at UFC 311 in a rematch against then-champion, Islam Makhachev. With many fans excited to see Tsarukyan get his shot at lightweight gold after a short-notice but competitive bout against Makhachev in 2019, Tsarukyan’s decision to withdraw from their rematch in January left a bitter taste in the UFC’s mouth.

Justin Gaethje

While many fans see a potential championship fight with Justin Gaethje to be unwarranted, the UFC has always been a fan of the human highlight reel as he has always been known to bring excitement whenever he fights. With wins over Rafael Fiziev, Michael Chandler and former interim UFC champion, Dustin Poirier, the former BMF champion has always brought chaos and entertainment with him whenever he steps in the Octagon. 

Despite being a fan-favorite and talented fighter, the prospect of Gaethje being the next to challenge Topuria doesn’t sit well with many fans. Gaethje’s last win came in March of 2025 at UFC 313 as Rafael Fiziev would step up on short-notice in a back-and-forth brawl that felt like a repeat of their initial bout two years prior at UFC 286 in London. 

With Justin Gaethje having championship experience before against fighters like Khabib Nurmagomedov and Charles Oliveira, The Highlight has made it clear that he only wants to fight if it is for championship gold. 

Paddy Pimblett

After facing off with Topuria in the cage following El Matador’s victory at UFC 317, the next potential lightweight title fight seemed to write itself into fruition as the two have gone back-and-forth for years with hopes to fight each other. With victories over Tony Ferguson, King Green and Michael Chandler, Paddy “The Baddy” Pimblett has made a name for himself by proving people wrong about how skilled he truly is. 

Despite only being ranked number ten on the UFC’s lightweight rankings right now, a potential fight between Pimblett and Topuria has fans the most excited about this bitter rivalry finally coming together. However, many fans believe Pimblett’s resume has not warranted a future title fight as many of the fighters he has beaten are currently on losing streaks. In spite of fans not believing Pimblett should be the next person to face Topuria, he currently has the longest win streak of any ranked lightweight contender at seven, with the exception of the vacated champion Islam Makhachev. 

While fans may be split on whether or not the scouser is deserving of a title shot, the UFC has been known for making fights they believe will draw fans in. With both fighters making it apparent they don’t like each other, the next one in line to face El Matador has become more clear now with many fans curious as to how well Pimblett would fare against the reigning lightweight champion.