Ilia Topuria's loss to Justin Gaethje at the UFC Freedom 250 has completely changed the lightweight landscape. Just a few weeks ago all the conversations revolved around belt defenses, superfights and possible matchups with some of the biggest stars in the UFC. Today the situation is different. Topuria is still one of the biggest names in the company, but his next step no longer seems so obvious.
The first priority will be to recover from the injuries sustained during the war with Gaethje. The confirmed orbital fracture and the enormous punishment accumulated will force the Spaniard to stay away from competition for several months. However, while he recovers, the UFC will have to decide how to rebuild the path of one of its most mediatic figures.
Paradoxically, the defeat could open up a possibility that many fans have been demanding for years: a major UFC event in Spain.
While Topuria was champion, any return to Europe was conditioned by the defense of a world belt. That meant negotiating calendars, schedules for the U.S. market and rivals with direct title aspirations. Now the scenario is different. Without a belt in between, the company has much more flexibility to build a big event around a rivalry that has been brewing for years.
And there appears a name that has never disappeared from the radar: Paddy Pimblett.
The enmity between the two is one of the best known in the entire UFC. Their verbal confrontations, the famous incident with the bottle and the continuous exchanges on social networks have kept alive a rivalry that transcends sports. In fact, after the defeat of Topuria, Pimblett reignited the confrontation again with new statements, showing that the story is more alive than ever.
From a business perspective, it is difficult to find a more attractive fight for a hypothetical UFC Spain. Topuria would mobilize the Spanish public and a large part of the European fans. Pimblett would do exactly the same with the British market. The result would be a card with enormous potential for ticket sales, media attention and international following.
In addition, the fight has an obvious advantage: it does not need a belt to sell itself. The history between the two has been years in the making and is probably one of the few European rivalries capable of filling a large stadium without the need for a title to be at stake.
Meanwhile, the championship scenario seems to be heading in another direction.
With Gaethje becoming champion after the UFC Freedom 250, everything points to the fact that the UFC will have to resolve the issue of the main contenders. Arman Tsarukyan continues to occupy a privileged position within the division and has long claimed a shot at the belt. Even before the fight between Topuria and Gaethje he had already been pointed out as one of the names closest to a future title fight.
However, it does not seem guaranteed that he will receive an immediate opportunity either. The division is particularly congested and there are several contenders with strong arguments. That is why it would not be strange if the UFC demanded an additional victory before definitively awarding him the championship fight. Tsarukyan's own situation has been the subject of debate within the category for months.
Another name that inevitably comes up in any conversation is Conor McGregor. For years, a fight between McGregor and Topuria was seen as one of the greatest economic opportunities that UFC could offer. However, the current reality seems to push that possibility further and further away.
The Irishman remains one of the biggest stars in the history of the sport, but his sporting situation is surrounded by uncertainty. Even if he manages to come back and win a fight, it's hard to imagine UFC immediately pairing him with a Topuria who will need to rebuild his way to the top. The current competitive backdrop makes that option seem much less likely than it did just a few months ago.
And there is another important consequence that this defeat leaves behind.
The dream fight against Islam Makhachev practically disappears from the immediate horizon.
For a long time, the fight between Topuria and Islam was considered one of the greatest clashes that the UFC could offer. The clash between two undefeated champions represented a perfect narrative to headline any event in the world. However, the defeat suffered against Gaethje completely changes that equation. Islam no longer gets any obvious sporting incentive from a fight that has lost much of the historical charge it had weeks ago. In addition, the Russian himself reacted publicly after the result, showing that the landscape of the division has changed radically.
That does not mean that Topuria has ceased to be a star. Far from it.
He remains one of the most popular fighters in Europe, continues to sell out events and maintains open rivalries with several top names. The difference is that now the path seems to be heading towards a sporting reconstruction instead of the superfights that were contemplated when he held the belt.
And precisely for this reason, the option of a UFC Spain with Paddy Pimblett in the opposite corner is beginning to look more realistic than ever. Perhaps the most painful defeat of his career will end up opening the door to one of the most anticipated events for Spanish fans.