Dana White is once again fielding questions about Ilia Topuria’s next move, and his answers on The Jim Rome Show this week only added fuel to a debate that has been simmering since the former featherweight champion dropped his lightweight debut to Justin Gaethje.
The UFC boss confirmed that talks with Topuria’s camp are already underway, even without a bout finalized on the promotion’s calendar.
“Yeah, our guys are always in touch with them, and we are looking at… We don’t have them on the schedule right now, but listen, Topuria is ready to compete, we’re ready, we’re ready for them,” White told Rome.
When Rome asked him to choose between the two most talked about paths forward, an immediate rematch with Gaethje or a showdown with Paddy Pimblett, White declined to pick a side, framing it as a win either way for the promotion.
“They’re both great. We don’t lose with either one of those matches. They’re both great matches, so I don’t know,” he said.
White then previewed the online reaction to his own noncommittal answer, poking fun at how quickly fans twist his words into a definitive stance.
“Listen. Anything I say on this show, there’s going to be a hundred of these goofy Instagram. ‘Dana White just announced Paddy Pimblett,’ if you know what I mean,” White said.
That instinct to overanalyze every syllable White offers about title contenders and marquee matchups has become something of a running joke among the MMA press, and some observers have started to wonder aloud whether the promotion is leaning toward outcomes that serve its business interests over what might be the safest or most competitive path for its stars.
Rome pushed back on White’s claim that he does not enjoy stirring up that exact reaction.
He said sarcastically, “Dana, because you’ve been so good about feeding this show. You’re right. Those goofballs wait for you to come on this program and wait for me to ask that question so you can feed them.”
The UFC president eventually conceded he has not settled on an answer, even as he made his enthusiasm for both options clear.
“Well, I don’t really have the answer to that question. I mean, obviously the rematch with Gaethje is incredible and a Paddy Pimblett matchup is amazing as bad as those two dislike each other,” White said.
That enthusiasm is exactly what has drawn scrutiny from people who watched the closing stretch of Topuria’s bout with Gaethje. Reports out of that camp indicated Topuria experienced fractures to both orbital bones, and the timeline being floated for a return has struck several voices in the sport as premature.
MMA analyst Luke Thomas questioned the wisdom of bringing Topuria back so quickly, pointing to the reported severity of his injuries in a post. He stated that breaking both orbitals less than three months ago and being labeled ready to go now might be medically achievable, but it is far from the ideal way to handle an athlete’s recovery.
Additionally, Thomas stated that pushing Topuria back into the octagon that quickly, even at his own urging, carries risk that does not need to be there.
Joe Rogan raised similar concerns on a recent episode of his podcast, walking through just how much punishment Topuria absorbed before the match was stopped.
“It’s going to be interesting to see how he rebounds because that was a lot of damage. Two fractured orbitals; they had to stop the bout in between rounds, and he took big punches from a guy who’s got f*****g rocks in his hands. Justin can crack… He’s had a couple of months, but he probably needs like six months before he’s even sparring again,” Rogan said.
He did not question Topuria’s resolve, but he was careful to separate mental toughness from the physical toll of that kind of beating.
“He’s a very mentally strong guy, and I think he will bounce back in that regard. It’s just there’s also the reality of how much damage, and only he knows how much damage he actually took in that match, how that affects him, as well, because there’s only a few of those kind of matches that you could have in your career, and you’ve got to be very careful how you recover from those,” Rogan said.
For now, nothing is locked in. White gave no target date for Topuria’s return, leaving the door open to either a rematch with Gaethje or a first meeting with Pimblett once the recovery process runs its course.
