UFC Star Ilia Topuria Shares Massive Update on UFC Comeback Fight Plans
It loos like former two-division UFC titleholder Ilia Topuria is officially working towards his comeback fight.
One of the biggest stars on the UFC roster at the moment, Topuria came into the year with an undefeated MMA record that he brought to17-0 when he knocked out Charles Oliveira at UFC 317 last summer.
That victory saw Topuria claim the vacant UFC lightweight belt after previously holding the promotion's featherweight title, but his first lightweight title defense at UFC Freedom 250 ended with a stunning loss at the hands of Justin Gaethje.
Ilia Topuria Returns to Training Following UFC White House Loss
Topuria nearly finished Gaethje during the course of 20 minutes at The White House, but eventually the damage he sustained himself encouraged his corner to call an end to things in between the fourth and fifth rounds.
The 29-year-old understandably withdrew from the public eye for an extended period immediately after the loss, but in the last month or so discussions around Topuria's comeback have started to pick up more momentum.
In the most significant update so far, Topuria recently revealed on Instagram that he's returned to raining and looks to be working towards his highly-anticipated comeback fight.
"Back to the office."
"El Matador" Knocked Out 3 Future UFC Hall of Famers Before Fighting Justin Gaethje
Following an 8-0 start to his professional MMA career, Topuria joined the UFC in 2020 and defeated Youssef Zalal via unanimous decision before stopping his next four opponents.
A dominant win over former interim title challenger Josh Emmett set Topuria up for a title shot at UFC 298, where he knocked out long-reigning titleholder Alexander Volkanovski in the Australian's first loss at featherweight.
"El Matador" also knocked out another future UFC Hall of Famer in Max Holloway at UFC 308 to defend his belt, which he ultimately vacated ahead of his move up to the lightweight division.
Will Ilia Topuria Get an Immediate Rematch With UFC Champion Justin Gaethje?
Gaethje still seems noncommittal about whether he'll stick around to defend the UFC lightweight belt or retire, but an immediate rematch with Topuria does seem to be one of the options available to the UFC heading into next year.
If Topuria needs more time off or the UFC wants to go with a fresh matchup, top lightweight contender Arman Tsarukyan just brutally knocked out Mauricio Ruffy in the co-main event of UFC 331 and brought his overall win streak to six fights.
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This article was originally published on www.si.com/fannation/mma as UFC Star Ilia Topuria Shares Massive Update on UFC Comeback Fight Plans.