UFC lightweight champion Ilya Topuria announced Thursday that he will not fight during the first quarter of 2026 as he grapples with “a difficult moment in my personal life.”
Topuria revealed the news in a post on
Topuria, 28, is 17-0 in his professional MMA career, and in his most recent fight, he defeated Charles Oliveira for the UFC lightweight title at UFC 317 in June.
Topuria also previously held the UFC featherweight title, winning it from Alexander Volkanovski at UFC 298 last year.
The Georgian and Spanish fighter, who was born in Germany, then made a successful defense against Max Holloway at UFC 308 in October 2024.
However, after only one defense, Topuria decided to move up in weight and vacate the featherweight title in favor of the lightweight title.
Topuria immediately established himself as the class of that division by knocking out Oliveira in the first round.
In the UFC pound-for-pound rankings, Topuria is the No. 2 overall fighter in the promotion, behind only Islam Makhachev.
Arman Tsarukyan established himself as a potential No. 1 contender for the lightweight title with a win over Dan Hooker last weekend, while Justin Gaethje and Paddy Pimblett are also in the mix.
Due to Topuria being absent for several months, the two aforementioned fighters could potentially meet in a fight for the interim UFC Lightweight title, with the winner facing Topuria in a unification bout at a later date.
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