Dana White has confirmed Ilia Topuria is ready to make his UFC return and likes the idea of the former champion fighting Paddy Pimblett. Topuria suffered the first defeat of his career last time out following a brutal beatdown at the hands of Justin Gaethje on the South Lawn of the White House.Topuria couldn’t handle Gaethje on the feet and retired on his stool after four roundsGettyThe Georgian-Spanish star was a resounding favourite for the clash but couldn’t handle the American’s relentless onslaught and subsequently lost his lightweight title.Topuria sustained a broken nose and fractures in both orbital bones during the contest, sporting nasty facial injuries when he was forced to retire on his stool after round four.MMA fans thought the defeat may have sidelined Topuria for the rest of 2026, until images emerged in late July showing ‘El Matador’ had almost fully recovered from his UFC White House injuries.UFC CEO White has now revealed Topuria is back in his thoughts, as he is ready to fight again.White: We’re ready for Topuria’s return“Our guys are always in touch with [Topuria’s team],” White said on The Jim Rome Show this week.“We don’t have him on the schedule right now, but Topuria’s ready to fight, and we’re ready for him.”Topuria will no doubt be gunning for an immediate rematch with Gaethje upon his UFC return, but may have to cement his status as the lightweight division’s No. 1 contender first and foremost.With Gaethje having played down the idea of a rematch several times since his iconic victory, UFC brass may be forced to match Topuria against another 155lbs star next.But this would be far from a nightmare scenario for White, as Topuria’s bitter rival Pimblett is also currently awaiting fight news.Pressed on whether Topuria is more likely to rematch Gaethje or fight Pimblett next, White responded: “Both sound good to me. They’re both great.View Tweet: https://x.com/hashtag/UFC?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5EtfwTopuria and Pimblett faced off after UFC 317 in June 2025 and their potential mega-fight has been discussed for years nowGettyUFC lightweight champion Gaethje has cast doubt on a rematch with both Topuria and Pimblett, which could make the UFC’s matchmaking process easierGetty“We don’t lose with either one of those fights. Obviously, the rematch with Gaethje is incredible.“The Paddy Pimblett fight is amazing, as bad as those two hate each other.”Topuria vs Pimblett?Pimblett said last weekend that the UFC has yet to approach him about his next fight.Despite losing an interim lightweight title bout to Gaethje in January, ‘The Baddy’ submitted Benoit Saint Denis in just 52 seconds in his last fight to get back on the path to a championship fight.He has admitted more than once that he would love the opportunity to ‘smash’ Topuria’s ‘head in.’Pimblett’s rivalry with Topuria dates back to an altercation at a London hotel in 2022, and the pair even faced off in the Octagon after the latter knocked out Charles Oliveira to win lightweight gold.A fight between Topuria and Pimblett would arguably be bigger than Gaethje fighting either man nextGettyShould Pimblett have defeated Gaethje at UFC 324 earlier this year, it would have been him challenging Topuria for the belt next.But 2026 has been the year of the underdogs, and Gaethje now serves as the UFC lightweight champion — the first undisputed crown of his illustrious career.Pimblett vs Topuria is a fight that has been discussed for years now, and it seems MMA fans would much rather see the pair throw down next than a Gaethje rematch.Nonetheless, White has plenty of options to consider, and an announcement is expected in the near future.Pimblett has said that if he fights again this year, it will take place in December.talkSPORT's UFC pound-for-pound rankingstalkSPORT.com has collectively voted on the best fighters to form a regularly updated UFC pound-for-pound (P4P) rankings system for the rest of 2026 and beyond.Our P4P list will be updated regularly based on performances in the Octagon — with wins, records, title wins and defences, calibre of opponents, methods of victory and much more all determining who makes it.UFC champions Islam Makhachev, Tom Aspinall and Sean Strickland feature – but big stars such as Alex Pereira and Arman Tsarukyan miss out.