Ilia Topuria Not Next for Justin Gaethje—Manager Ali Abdelaziz Speaks Out

Ali Abdelaziz has poured cold water on one of the UFC’s most talked‑about immediate rematches.

The manager of lightweight champion Justin Gaethje insists Ilia Topuria will not be next, despite growing chatter that the promotion could run back their June clash at UFC Freedom 250, where Gaethje stunned the featherweight champion in a seismic upset.

“He’s not fighting Justin Gaethje next… I believe Justin Gaethje will beat him nine out of 10 time. You know why? Justin have his number… this fight will never happen. I can tell you this,” Abdelaziz told Submission Radio, cutting straight through the speculation.

The message was blunt: no Topuria rematch, at least not now.

That stance, if it holds, rips open a lane that Arman Tsarukyan has been pounding on for years. The Armenian-Russian contender has stitched together six straight wins, the latest a vicious first‑round KO of Mauricio Ruffy in the co-main event of UFC 331. It was the kind of finish that doesn’t just pad a record; it demands a response from matchmakers.

With Gaethje holding the lightweight belt and Topuria apparently pushed to the back of the queue, Tsarukyan’s case has never looked stronger. Six in a row. A highlight‑reel knockout in his last outing. A body of work that screams “next.”

The UFC has never pretended to be a pure meritocracy. Star power, timing, and narrative often jump the line ahead of rankings and win streaks. But ignoring Tsarukyan now, given the run he’s on and the emphatic way he dispatched Ruffy, would stretch credibility to breaking point.

Abdelaziz can make his position clear, and he has. He doesn’t want Gaethje vs. Topuria 2 right now. He believes his champion has already solved that puzzle and would do so again.

But the manager doesn’t write the bout agreements.

The decision, as always, sits with the UFC. If the promotion craves the spectacle of a quick rematch, it can force the issue and circle back to Topuria. If it leans toward sporting logic, Tsarukyan finally gets the shot he has been fighting toward for years.

The door is open. The only question now is whether the UFC walks Tsarukyan through it or slams it shut in favor of another rerun.