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The lightweight division is churning into an exciting mess with Ilia Topuria in the spotlight. After the Spaniard defeated Charles Oliveira and won the lightweight title, aspirants like Arman Tsarukyan, Justin Gaethje, and Paddy Pimblett became the frontrunners for a shot at ‘El Matador’. Gaethje warned Dana White that he’d retire if he doesn’t get a title fight next. Tsarukyan and Topuria have since engaged in an online battle, with the champion refusing to give the Armenian a chance to fight for the title.

Among the three contenders, Tsarukyan is ranked the highest in the division. But Pimblett is now the front-runner for the title shot. Why? Well, the mess began when Joe Rogan called Pimblett inside the Octagon for a face-off against Topuria at UFC 317.

For starters, Dana White was completely against Rogan’s move. During the UFC 317 post-fight press conference, the UFC CEO said, “Well, I don’t know who the hell let him in there. That should have never happened… I was already back in my room, or that would have never happened. My thing with Ilia…. is his wife and kid are in the Octagon… It shouldn’t happen. That’s not really what we do… Plus, he just… he wins a second title in a higher division, which was a bad call by whoever let him [Pimblett] in there.”

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With the ongoing drama on social media, most fans are rooting for the fight between Topuria and Tsarukyan. Daniel Cormier feels like the bout will happen and chimed in with his thoughts on his YouTube talk show. The UFC color commentator said, “In the UFC, when something is wanted, and if it’s wanted very bad, they will make it happen. It will happen — Ilia Topuria-Arman Tsarukyan.” But he also highlighted the problem that Joe Rogan caused at UFC 317.  

Cormier continued, “The visual of Paddy in the Octagon is something that you cannot erase. You can’t erase it. It’s a moment. So, I would have loved the UFC to pan to Arman and pan to Justin after Paddy was in there, because then you keep them in front of mind also. But because it ended with Ilia and Paddy arguing in the Octagon, and then we go to something else, that’s the lasting memory of the 155-pound division. It’s hard to go backwards and erase something.” 

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The Armenian lightweight contender weighed in as the backup fighter for the UFC 317 main event. This fact alone should shine some light on him as a potential opponent for Topuria. However, the Spaniard isn’t interested, claiming that Tsarukyan doesn’t deserve the title shot. Why? It’s because he pulled out of UFC 311 with complaints of a back injury. So, who should Dana White let Topuria go against next? 

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UFC veteran weighs in on Ilia Topuria’s next possible fight

Chael Sonnen, on an episode of the Good Guy/Bad Guy show, claimed, “You have the organic marketing… I would not do Paddy vs Gaethje in the meantime… Tsarukyan had the shot. We know he’s good enough. He weighed in 1 ounce overweight. He would have already fought for a title on Saturday.” Sonnen simply didn’t like the idea of making Pimblett and Gaethje fight for a title shot. Instead, ‘The Bad Guy’ had a suggestion.  

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What’s your perspective on:

Did Joe Rogan's Octagon stunt unfairly boost Paddy Pimblett's title shot over more deserving contenders?

Have an interesting take?

‘The American Gangster’ continued, “Both guys [Gaethje and Pimblett] have very strong arguments. I just think we can do both. And Ilia is most certainly willing. The problem you run into is the bigger fight is Paddy ‘The Baddy’. In many ways, you’re safe to do Paddy first, just to make you preserve that opportunity because Tsarukyan can come in, close the book on this whole damn thing. He’s good, bro.”

Arman Tsarukyan recently shared an Instagram post showing him training in Alicante, Spain — the city where Ilia Topuria resides. Naturally, fans are speculating – does this mean Tsarukyan and Topuria are set to fight? With the UFC heading to Spain on September 6, 2025, all signs point toward a potential lightweight title clash between the two. But what do you think?

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Did Joe Rogan's Octagon stunt unfairly boost Paddy Pimblett's title shot over more deserving contenders?

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