Ilia Topuria might soon be the man to kick off a new chapter in UFC history. With the promotion’s $7.7 billion broadcast deal with Paramount set to begin on January 1, 2026, the buzz is already building. Fans are wondering, who will headline the first card of this bold new era? And could it be ‘El Matador’ himself? The 28-year-old Spanish-Georgian superstar is one of the UFC’s brightest lights, a man whose rise has mirrored the sport’s global expansion.

From his incredible knockouts over Alexander Volkanovski, Max Holloway, and Charles Oliveira to his magnetic confidence outside the cage, Topuria has quickly become a face the UFC can build around. Now, with the Paramount era on the horizon, his next move may define the company’s grand entrance onto one of the biggest broadcast stages in sports!

Dana White teases Ilia Topuria’s return in 2026 with just three words

At Dana White’s Contender Series post-fight press conference for Season 9, Week 10, the UFC boss was asked about the January card and whether fans should expect something special. His answer was brief but revealing. “Literally, today, matchmaking was today,” White said. “We started working on the first Paramount card today.”

The next question came fast: could Ilia Topuria be part of that lineup? After all, he’s unbooked, undefeated, and arguably the UFC’s most exciting champion. White didn’t confirm it, but he did say at the press conference, “It’s a possibility.”

Just three words, but enough to light the fuse. For those unaware, the deal between TKO Group Holdings and Paramount marks one of the largest broadcast agreements in combat sports history. Under the deal, Paramount+ will stream all UFC Fight Nights and numbered events, with select pay-per-view cards simulcast on CBS, a major shift from the ESPN era.

According to statement made by Dana White at the time, “This deal puts UFC amongst the biggest sports in the world. The exposure provided by the Paramount and CBS networks under this new structure is a huge win for our athletes and anyone who watches and loves this sport.”

It’s a massive leap from the UFC’s previous arrangement with ESPN, which began in 2019 and will end this December with UFC 323, headlined by Merab Dvalishvili vs. Petr Yan. That event will close the ESPN era, and as the UFC boss shared, “They’ve been great to us, and they’ve been great to the sport. We want to put on a bada— last card for them.”

As such, if the UFC wants to launch 2026 with a bang, few names carry more momentum than Ilia Topuria. And strategically, it fits. Paramount executives have emphasized their intent to use the UFC as a cornerstone for both their streaming and television platforms. According to David Ellison, chairman and CEO of Paramount, “Live sports continue to be a cornerstone of our broader strategy — driving engagement, subscriber growth, and long-term loyalty, and the addition of UFC’s year-round must-watch events to our platforms is a major win.”

So, Dana White’s tease may have been only three words, but it was enough to ignite excitement. After all, there are already shots being fired at the lightweight champion by a rival who’s holding nothing back!

Paddy Pimblett claims he’s already “in Topuria’s head” with a bold callout

In a conversation with eldoberdanMMA, Paddy Pimblett lobbed a provocation aimed straight at Ilia Topuria’s home turf. And suddenly, the fight everyone is whispering about sounded a lot louder.

‘The Baddy’ made his feelings clear as he fired off with, “I want to fight Ilia, whenever, wherever, I’d love to come to Bernabéu and punch your face in. Do it in Spain in front of your fake countrymen because you’re really German. I’d love to come and punch your face in in front of 90,000 people in the Bernabéu in enemy territory for me because the Bernabéu is a s—hole.”

Why bait the champion on his own soil? Because Pimblett thrives on enemy territory. He wants emotion in the cage and believes Topuria fights calm and collected. But against him? The Liverpool native confessed, “He goes into every fight calm and calculated. With me, I’m already in his head. He’s not going to fight me like he fights everyone else. He’s going to try and take my head off and he’s going to get his head took off in the process.”

So what happens next? Does Dana White book the fireworks for Paramount’s big January kickoff? Will Topuria bite? Or will the promoter play chess and pick a safer route? Let us know what you think in the comments below!