Several weeks ago, we announced from this newspaper the intentions that the UFC was preparing: to put Ilya Topuria at the head of the first UFC event in January 2026, coinciding with the premiere of the Paramount Television contract in the United States, … Worth $1.1 billion per season. He needed his biggest star and that meant scheduling Elijah Topuria’s title defense against Buddy Pimblett. This is what the UFC tried to do in Doha, Qatar, where they met with the Hispanic team of El Matador to pressure El Matador to fight in January. But it wasn’t available.
A few days later, Topuria posted a message on social media, in which he indicated that he needed time to organize his private life, because he was going through difficult times. “I will not fight in the first quarter of next year. I am going through a difficult period in my personal life. I want to focus on my children and resolve this situation as quickly as possible. I don’t want to delay the division. “The UFC will schedule the necessary matches, and as soon as the matter is resolved, I will inform you that I am ready for my return,” the Spanish-born Georgian said.
Hours later, the UFC announced that it would enter competition for this first event in January for the interim lightweight title between Englishman Paddy Pimblett and American Justin Gaethje. The winner will face Ilya Topuria in the spring or summer. Given this situation, one of the UFC stars has come out against some of the criticism that has been directed at the Georgia Hispanic. Sean O’Malley showed his support after stepping down when he went through a “difficult time” in his personal life.
“It’s bad (the situation)… and it’s public, which makes it worse. When you go through this kind of thing, you definitely don’t want to be on the battlefield. When you add children to the mix, that’s what makes dealing with them so difficult. “I really feel very sorry for him,” O’Malley said on a podcast. Max Holloway, who recently went through a breakup, also sent a loving message to his former rival Topuria. For now, the UFC lightweight champion will take some time and will inform the company when he wants to return.