Ilia Topuria’s hiatus from the UFC looks to be coming to an end and he is preparing for his return to action by returning to his roots.

This past June, Ilia Topuria suffered the first loss of his professional career after Justin Gaethje dethroned him of his lightweight title in the UFC Freedom 250 main event.

Since then, the Spaniard has been out of action waiting for the perfect time to return to the Octagon, whilst also waiting for the lightweight division to sort itself out.

But despite there being palpable anticipation for his return to action, Topuria doesn’t have many options, with one standing out more than the rest.

What happens if Paddy Pimblett is booked as Ilia Topuria’s comeback opponent? 🤔

Ilia Topuria announcing he is back coincides with Paddy Pimblett’s potential return timeline

A few weeks ago, Paddy Pimblett revealed an injury delay, claiming that he recently had stem cells injected into his left hand and so he hasn’t been able to train properly for the past few weeks. Initially, ‘The Baddy’ was hoping for a potential return to action before the end of the year, despite having previously stated he won’t fight near Christmas because of his brutal weight cut.

Despite that, Pimblett isn’t expected to be out of action for too long, and he will likely be ready to return to the cage in the first quarter of 2027, with January and February being possible dates he could fight. That coincides with the former UFC featherweight and lightweight champion’s plan to return, and in a recent visit to Georgia, the 29-year-old has declared he is ‘coming back’ after reminiscing on old times.

“I returned to where it all began. Not to reminisce, but to remember. The Matador is coming back,” Topuria stated in a post on his Instagram.

In Topuria’s cryptic post, he hasn’t suggested when he will actually return to the Octagon, but his physical trainer previously claimed that he will be ready to return in January or February. And although the reason for his return to Georgia is currently unknown, it is likely that it was for a promotional shoot with clothing brand, Montriex, after he signed with them earlier this year.

The UFC have been told they could sell out a 100,000 seater stadium with Topuria vs. Pimblett, but Dana White is completely against hosting an event at a stadium, pouring cold water on that idea. Despite that, if the promotion did match the pair of stars up next, it would likely be one of the biggest fights of 2027, despite not being for a world title due to the star power of both fighters and their ongoing feud.

Not only that, but a fight between Topuria and Pimblett would likely determine the next title challenger, as they are ranked number one and five respectively in the lightweight division.