Ilya Topuria\u2019s camp is brimming with confidence as the UFC lightweight champion prepares for his return. Since claiming the 155-pound title last June\u2014becoming the 10th fighter to hold belts in two weight classes\u2014Topuria hasn\u2019t competed. After his knockout victory over Charles Oliveira at UFC 317, the Spanish star aimed to defend his lightweight title earlier this year. However, personal challenges outside the Octagon forced him to pause his fighting schedule.<\/p>\n
Now, \u201cEl Matador\u201d is targeting a comeback this summer, likely facing interim champ Justin Gaethje, who secured his interim belt by defeating Paddy Pimblett at UFC 324. If that bout comes to fruition, Topuria\u2019s coach is extremely confident about the outcome.<\/p>\n
Topuria\u2019s long break might end on June 14th, with hopes of headlining the event at the White House. Gaethje expects their clash to be the night\u2019s main attraction, but Topuria\u2019s team predicts the fight will end quickly with a first-round knockout. Coach Javi Clement told Alvaro Colmenero, \u201cI can\u2019t promise it\u2019ll be in 30 seconds, one minute, or two minutes, but I am 100% certain it will happen in the first round, during the opening exchange.\u201d<\/p>\n
He added, \u201cNo matter how tough Gaethje is or how badly he wants the win, once Ilia lands a shot, he can\u2019t advance. If he tries, he\u2019ll suffer the same fate as Oliveira\u2014who tried moving forward but ended up on the mat.\u201d Clement also noted he has thoroughly studied Gaethje\u2019s weaknesses and believes those habits will cost him dearly on fight night.<\/p>\n
With \u201cEl Matador\u201d poised as a top contender for the June 14th White House event in Washington, D.C., Gaethje isn\u2019t the only challenger eyeing the champion. Islam Makhachev, former lightweight champ and reigning welterweight titleholder, recently signed on for the event and expressed his readiness to fight Topuria if the UFC approves the superfight. Makhachev told Telegraph Sport, \u201cI like the idea. If the UFC wants it, I\u2019m ready.\u201d<\/p>\n
Fan Take:<\/strong> This matchup is crucial for fight fans because it promises a high-stakes showdown that could define the lightweight division\u2019s future. Topuria\u2019s return and the potential superfight with Makhachev represent exciting opportunities to shake up the sport\u2019s competitive landscape and deliver memorable UFC moments.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Ilya Topuria\u2019s camp is brimming with confidence as the UFC lightweight champion prepares for his return. Since claiming the 155-pound title last June\u2014becoming the 10th fighter to hold belts in two weight classes\u2014Topuria hasn\u2019t competed. After his knockout victory over Charles Oliveira at UFC 317, the Spanish star aimed to defend his lightweight title earlier […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":43025,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[2443],"tags":[2444],"class_list":{"0":"post-43024","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-fighting","8":"tag-fighting"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/sportsdaily.news\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/43024","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/sportsdaily.news\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/sportsdaily.news\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sportsdaily.news\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sportsdaily.news\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=43024"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/sportsdaily.news\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/43024\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sportsdaily.news\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/43025"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/sportsdaily.news\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=43024"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sportsdaily.news\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=43024"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sportsdaily.news\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=43024"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}