For a while back there, it seemed like Ilia Topuria vs Paddy Pimblett was a long shot. What with Ilia’s dominance at the top and Pimblett’s fight not quite measuring up to the same level. Then, Justin Gaethje battered both of them, one after the other, in the span of six months, making Topuria vs Gaethje the logical next step. But Jon Anik thinks Topuria will return to the title scene with a rematch against the man who made him quit on the stool.

Ilia Topuria suffered the first loss of his pro MMA career when Justin Gaethje stopped him at UFC Freedom 250 in June, handing ‘The Highlight’ the lightweight title in the process. But apparently, the UFC isn’t exactly interested in making the Spanish-Georgian start from square one. If Anik’s read on the matchmaking talks is right, we could be looking at Topuria-Gaethje 2 sooner than anyone expected.

“I think there are internal conversations to potentially try to do Gaethje vs. Topuria 2,” Anik said on his YouTube channel. “A lot of people wonder aloud, ‘What is next for Ilia Topuria?’ And there’s certainly an obvious foundation for a fight between him and Paddy Pimblett.”

And honestly, ‘El Matador’ vs. Paddy Pimblett has been sitting there as one of the biggest fights to make. The longtime beef between the two fighters, the personalities, and the history pretty much sells itself. But there’s a pretty big reason the UFC might decide to skip all that and throw Ilia Topuria straight back into a title fight: money.

“But, if you have Ilia Topuria, as a fight promoter, would you not want to think about putting him back in a championship setting, given how big UFC Freedom 250 was?” Anik added. “I think there’s strong consideration there.”

And to be fair, it’s hard to argue with that logic. The UFC’s White House card was already a massive spectacle, but Ilia Topuria vs. Gaethje took things to another level. It became one of the biggest fights in UFC history, and now the promotion has a chance to run it back, again with the lightweight crown on the line. For the UFC, that’s a pretty tough offer to ignore.

“I just think you gotta at least kick the tires on running back the main event of the biggest show in company history,” Anik later wrote on X.

There’s just one pretty big problem with the whole rematch idea: Justin Gaethje may not even want it. The champion has already made it pretty clear that he’s not desperate to run back every loss on his record. So even if the UFC loves the idea of Topuria-Gaethje 2, ‘The Highlight’ himself might have other plans.

However, it doesn’t mean it necessarily kills the fight.

“I don’t think it’s going to be up to Justin … I say that with all due respect,” Anik said. “I think Justin is far more concerned with his show money than with who he’s actually fighting.”

Basically, if the UFC puts the right number in front of him, Anik thinks ‘The Highlight’ could be on board. That said, Anik was also quick to make one thing clear: none of this is confirmed.

“I don’t know what Ilia Topuria’s timeline is,” he further added. “But my non-informed speculation is that Gaethje vs. Topuria 2, a rematch, would be absolutely enormous, and I guess, predictively, that’s what I think is going to happen.”

Of course, the UFC isn’t exactly short on options. Arman Tsarukyan could crash right back into the title picture if he gets through Mauricio Ruffy at UFC 331 on September 19. Anik already sees that one as a pretty clear lightweight title eliminator, so a big win could put ‘Ahalkalakets’ right in the mix.

Then there’s Paddy Pimblett. A potential fight with Charles Oliveira would be another huge commercial play, especially with Pimblett’s massive fanbase. And if that matchup comes together, it could shake up the entire lightweight picture.

‘The Highlight’ also has another massive-money option sitting on the table: Conor McGregor. So yeah, the UFC has no shortage of blockbuster matchups to choose from.

But if Jon Anik’s read on the situation is right, Ilia Topuria could skip the long road back to the top entirely. Instead, ‘El Matador’ could get thrown straight back into the fire against the guy who handed him the first loss of his career and took away his crown.

And if that happens, the lightweight division is about to get very, very interesting.