UFC boss Dana White has confirmed that Ilia Topuria‘s next fight will come against the winner of the UFC 324 interim title fight between Justin Gaethje and Paddy Pimblett.
Last night, Dana White dropped some bombshell news for mixed martial arts fans. One of the biggest stories of the evening was that in the wake of Ilia Topuria taking a brief hiatus due to personal issues, the UFC interim lightweight championship will be up for grabs at UFC 324. The two men competing for it will be Justin Gaethje and Paddy Pimblett.
As you can imagine, a lot of people were curious as to why Arman Tsarukyan wasn’t given a shot, especially given that he even said he is more than willing to do a quick turnaround and compete on the January card. Alas, Arman was left out of the plans, although there was always a chance that he could get a shot at Ilia Topuria when he returns, forming something of a mini four-man tournament.
As per Dana White, though, that isn’t what’s going to happen, and Tsarukyan’s journey to a title shot appears to have gotten even more complicated.
Dana White confirms Ilia Topuria’s next fight
Obviously you just saw Gaethje vs. Paddy Pimblett for the interim title,” White said on Instagram Live. “Earlier, Topuria posted, ‘I’m dealing with some personal problems so I’m not going to fight the first quarter.’ The winner of Gaethje vs. Paddy will be the interim titleholder and then they will face Topuria.”
Quotes via MMA Junkie
Tsarukyan isn’t exactly everyone’s cup of tea and that goes without saying, but it’s certainly a bit strange that he hasn’t been considered here. Who knows, maybe the promotion still wants him to prove himself with one more fight, or perhaps they think he will be happy enough to sit out for now.