Dana White is waiting until the conclusion of UFC 322 to decide on Ilia Topuria’s next fight.That’s according to Ali Abdelaziz, the manager of Islam Makhachev, who faces Jack Della Maddalena for the UFC welterweight title on the New York card this month.Makhachev, a former lightweight champion, has moved up to welterweight and takes on Della Maddalena for the strap at UFC 322 on November 15GettyMakhachev’s manager believes the main event will have an impact on the future of lightweight champion Topuria, who has previously wanted to fight Makhachev, with Paddy Pimblett also in line to face him nextGettyMakhachev vacated the lightweight strap earlier this year to move up a division, and he contends for the belt in his first fight at 170lbs in the main event of UFC 322.Before Della Maddalena was announced as his inaugural welterweight opponent, Makhachev had been linked to a fight with Ilia Topuria for months.Topuria had also vacated a UFC title at the time to move up to lightweight, having declared his interest several times in locking horns with the Russian in his first fight at 155lbs.Topuria wound up knocking out Charles Oliveira in June to win Makhachev’s old belt, and ‘El Matador’ has since been rumoured to take on either Justin Gaethje or Paddy Pimblett next.Well, Abdelaziz, who also manages Gaethje, has said UFC CEO Dana White will wait to see who wins the main event of UFC 322 before making any announcement on the lightweight champion’s future.UFC waiting on Jack Della Maddalena vs Islam Makhachev to decide Ilia Topuria’s future“I think the UFC is waiting to see what happens between Islam and JDM,” Abdelaziz told Submission Radio.“Also, I think the UFC is waiting to see what happens with Arman [Tsarukyan] and [Dan] Hooker.”Tsarukyan faces Hooker in the main event of UFC Qatar on November 22 in a lightweight title eliminator.The winner of that bout will be in line for a shot at Topuria’s throne, with Tsarukyan the current No. 1 contender in the ranking system.However, no.5-ranked lightweight Gaethje is arguably the frontrunner as things stand, having previously stated that he will quit the sport for good if he doesn’t get Topuria next.View Tweet: https://t.co/akdp79RIKBGaethje only wants a title shot next, and his manager believes he will be a man of his word and retire if he doesn’t get itGettyJustin Gaethje to retire if he misses out on Topuria because of Paddy Pimblett“I’m telling you this: Justin Gaethje never breaks his word,” Abdelaziz added.“If he gets jumped by Paddy, he will retire and he will never fight again in the UFC.“I truly believe that, but you know the UFC is a business. Paddy — I have nothing against the young man.“He’s great, entertaining, [but] his last three opponents are 0-13. In the rankings, Justin Gaethje is ahead of him.“Justin Gaethje keeps getting favourite after favourite in the UFC. What has Paddy Pimblett done in the UFC to deserve a shot over Justin Gaethje?“If it’s pure entertainment, okay, give it to him. If it’s pure merit — Justin Gaethje.”Pimblett and Topuria share a mutual hatred for one another based on an altercation at a London hotel in 2022GettyPimblett and Topuria both started their UFC journeys at similar timesGetty / Jordan Brightman-Charles - talkSPORTAbdelaziz added that he has received no proposals yet for Gaethje’s next fight, saying that Tsarukyan is the only justifiable choice to get a title shot ahead of the American.UFC CEO White said last month that he is ‘trying to figure out’ Topuria’s next move, meaning Abdelaziz’s suggestion that he’s waiting for the New York card to go down could be true.Pimblett, meanwhile, remains confident that he will get Topuria next in his quest to reach MMA’s summit.Pimblett: I can beat Topuria wherever the fight goes“I’d absolutely smash his face in,” Pimblett told Sporf.“I can see me beating him anywhere the fight goes.“People have put him on a pedestal now; they think he’s this big, amazing thing when I’ll bring him crashing down to earth in a big way.” Pimblett is waiting on an announcement from the UFC at this stage, having stated multiple times that he’s training to fight Topuria next.Topuria vs Pimblett would be one of the most lucrative fights in the promotion’s history, so the UFC brass may favour the Liverpudlian over someone like Gaethje, especially as they begin their new broadcast deal with Paramount+.Their rivalry started three years ago when Pimblett threw a bottle of hand sanitiser at Topuria before they both featured on a UFC card in London.