A historic UFC fight card at the White House should be a career highlight. Instead, for champion Ilia Topuria, it has become a source of major uncertainty. The UFC lightweight champion has recently raised concerns about his potential clash with Justin Gaethje on the proposed June 14 White House card. This comes just weeks after ‘The Highlight’ defeated Paddy Pimblett to win the interim title at UFC 324.

Appearing on Adin Ross’ KICK livestream, Topuria was asked about the timeline for his next fight. ‘El Matador’ admitted he has no clarity about when, or even where, he will compete next.

“In summer, hopefully,” Ilia Topuria said. “If I’m fighting in the White House, I don’t know. You don’t [tell] the UFC how to make fights and where they have to put you. And they don’t tell you how to fight. So this is basically how it works… As of right now, I have no f—king idea what’s going on… I know that I’m going to fight in the summer, but I don’t have any specific date or place.”

Topuria further took digs at Justin Gaethje and Paddy Pimblett for their performance earlier this year. However, ‘El Matador’ confirmed that he is most likely going to be facing Justin Gaethje next. While Topuria seems confident a fight with Gaethje is next, the location remains a major question mark. MMA journalist and Team Topuria insider Álvaro Colmenero suggests the uncertainty stems from political optics surrounding the White House event.

“I’m not sure if Trump’s advisors would feel comfortable with putting a Hispanic-Georgian fighter in the main event,” Colmenero said. “In a scenario where there’s a very high probability that the American star ends up getting knocked out. It’s also about advising and structuring things in the most positive way for American interests.”

This comes amid heavy backlash against Donald Trump’s aggressive immigration policies. It’s safe to assume that if Topuria ends up headlining the card, a similar situation could arise. And considering the close ties between Dana White and Donald Trump, the UFC is unlikely to take that chance.

Regardless, the promotion has yet to announce a lineup for the event. However, according to reports, Dana White confirmed that the matchmaking for the historic UFC White House card is essentially done, with two potential options in place.

In the meantime, Topuria appears to be planning for the future. 

Ilia Topuria proposes a new P4P title for the Islam Makhachev fight

Even though Ilia Topuria is open to moving to welterweight in order to chase history as a three-division champion, he also proposed a more unique solution. Speaking during an appearance on Adin Ross’ stream, ‘El Matador’ suggested a fight between 155 and 170 pounds to crown a symbolic P4P king.

“But also, it would be a great scenario [for] me to fight between 155 and 170 and to create a new belt,” Topuria said. “Why not call it pound-for-pound? Because he’s the number one, I’m the number two right now. For me, myself, I’m the number one… You put two of the best guys in the world, you put the pound-for-pound belt in the middle, whoever wins is the best.”

The proposed P4P clash comes as both fighters are at the top of their game. Islam Makhachev is riding high from his welterweight title win over Jack Della Madallena, while Topuria’s last outing was his own title victory against Charles Oliveira, setting the stage for a potential superfight between two reigning champions.

It looks like Ilia Topuria is eager to get back in the octagon. Whether his next fight is a politically charged headliner at the White House or a legacy-defining clash with Makhachev, his next move, or the one decided for him by the UFC, will be one of the most anticipated in the sport. Do you think there’s still a chance UFC puts him on the White House card?