Ilia Topuria is getting closer to his UFC return.The two-division UFC champion lost the lightweight title to Justin Gaethje at the White House in June, when nasty facial injuries forced him to retire on his stool.Topuria vs Gaethje headlined the UFC’s historic show on the South Lawn of the White HouseGettyGaethje shocked the world when he put a beating on Topuria and forced him to retire on his stool with his face disfiguredGettyTopuria revealed after the main event of the iconic event that Gaethje, now the reigning lightweight king, blinded him in both eyes during their fight.However, after taking time out of the limelight following his defeat, Topuria is ready to make a comeback.The 29-year-old revisited his Georgian roots this week with a message to his fans ahead of an imminent UFC return.“I returned to where it all began,” Topuria wrote on Instagram, pictured in front of the Didgori Memorial in Georgia.Topuria was born in Germany to Georgian parents and now represents Spain after moving to Alicante as a teenager to start practising MMA.He added: “Not to reminisce, but to remember. ‘The Matador’ is coming back.”Topuria vs Pimblett next?Having just lost the lightweight title, Topuria will likely have to prove himself in a No. 1 contender fight before challenging for gold again.After all, Gaethje has already said he is unwilling to grant Topuria a rematch based on the outcome of their fight.That leads to the current favourite to be Topuria’s next opponent, Paddy Pimblett.It feels like there is no better time to book a blockbuster bout between the bitter rivals.Topuria and Pimblett faced off at UFC 317 in June 2025 – and the pair could finally be set to settle their bitter rivalryGettyThe pair share a mutual hatred that dates back to an altercation at a London hotel in 2022, and they have since been at one another’s throats, trading verbal blows in interviews.Topuria and Pimblett actually faced off after the former knocked out Charles Oliveira to become lightweight champion at UFC 317.However, Gaethje then defeated Pimblett at UFC 324 in an interim title fight in January to cement his name as the next contender to Topuria’s throne.But Pimblett is now coming off a career-best win over fellow top-ranked contender Benoit Saint Denis and is arguably just one fight away from an undisputed title shot.The Liverpudlian has even suggested he meets Topuria as a fellow coach in a season of the UFC’s reality TV show, The Ultimate Fighter, before they get their hands on each other.The one thing that could prevent a Topuria vs Pimblett clash is if Gaethje retires or takes on Alexander Volkanovski in a champion-vs-champion fight.Gaethje will likely have the freedom to decide his next move, which could shape the future of the UFC’s lightweight divisionGettyWhat about Arman Tsarukyan?With Arman Tsarukyan currently waiting in the wings for his first title shot, if Gaethje decides against facing the next man in line, the promotion could decide on an interim title fight.This could then pave the way for Topuria to face Tsarukyan for the interim lightweight title, with Pimblett having to wait his turn.Tsarukyan knocked out Mauricio Ruffy at UFC 331 in September, and UFC CEO Dana White acknowledged the Armenian star was in a ‘great position’ for a title shot next.Due to Topuria’s credentials as a two-division champion, he would doubtless come ahead of Pimblett as the next in line to challenge Tsarukyan if that is the case.This could leave ‘The Baddy’ free to face the winner of Oliveira vs Diego Lopes, with the Brazilian lightweight stars fighting for the BMF title at UFC 335 next month.Nonetheless, the UFC is in a good spot with the lightweight division as things stand, and Topuria’s next fight will be unmissable no matter who he faces.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, Joshua Van and Sean Strickland feature – but big stars such as Alex Pereira and Tom Aspinall miss out.