The update comes from Alvaro Colmenero, a journalist known for breaking news in the Topuria orbit. Speaking recently, Colmenero said Topuria\u2019s return timetable has shifted dramatically behind the scenes.<\/p>\n
\u201cThings have changed a lot.<\/a> There have been private situations, and you\u2019re going to be very surprised at what\u2019s going to happen in lightweight,\u201d Colmenero said (h\/t Championship Rounds). \u201cI can confirm that Ilia will not fight in January. February? I doubt it a lot. If you ask me, I think Ilia will fight in the Spring.\u201d<\/p>\n Colmenero also cast doubt on a potential showdown with top contender Arman Tsarukyan, noting, \u201cI think the top part of the lightweight division is going to shift, but I doubt that Tsarukyan is in the equation for fighting Topuria in the spring\/summer of 2026.\u201d<\/p>\n Topuria recently said he \u201chas nothing on the horizon<\/a>,\u201d a remark that now reads less like misdirection and more like a quiet warning that the Paramount launch wouldn\u2019t feature him after all. Still, fans can hardly blame them for being skeptical \u2014 fighters say things.<\/p>\n The 27-year-old champion is coming off a violent knockout win over Charles Oliveira, though he hasn\u2019t fought since June 2024 (watch highlights<\/a>). With a Spring 2026 return now in play, the Lightweight landscape suddenly looks wide open.<\/p>\n There are plenty of options, and plenty of chaos, on the table. Only time will tell how UFC plans to navigate a Paramount launch without one of its biggest stars.<\/p>\n