Even though he's set on getting a fight against Islam Makhachev, Ilia Topuria has different plans lined up after his trip to the White House.
On June 14, Ilia Topuria is looking to show why he's become one of the sport's biggest names when he faces Justin Gaethje in the UFC White House main event.
'The Highlight' comes into this one with plenty of support from around the MMA world and hasn't been shy about his goal. He wants to 'change Topuria's face' and walk away as undisputed champion.
But Topuria has his eyes on even bigger plans beyond that. Another win over a UFC legend would give him more leverage to set up some huge fights and add another chapter to an already impressive career.
Following this summer's bout at UFC White House, there's already talk about where Ilia Topuria goes next.
Photo by Jeff Bottari/Zuffa LLC
With the event drawing significant attention, UFC president Dana White isn't taking any chances. A backup has been assigned to the title fight.
Recently, Arman Tsarukyan was named as the official standby for the headliner, giving him a potential shot to step in and face either Topuria or Gaethje for the belt if needed.
A lot of fans already believe that Tsarukyan deserves a shot at Topuria, but he's still dealing with the fallout from past issues in his UFC career.
And although Topuria seemed set on moving up to welterweight after his UFC Freedom 250 bout, recent reports now indicate that he's focused on facing Tsarukyan instead.
Speaking after an interview with Topuria, Carlos Contreras Legapsi said: "He really wants to fight Arman."
"If there's one title defence, he'll want it to be against Arman next. At that point, it would be undeniable. I think if Ilia wins, Arman Tsarukyan will be the next title defence, and then we'll see what happens after that. Because there's also the ambition of fighting Islam,"
Despite not having stepped into the octagon since November of last year, Tsarukyan has kept himself active by participating in wrestling matches with Real American Freestyle Wrestling. The increased exposure has only added to his popularity in recent months.
Read more:
