It’s been nearly half a year since Ilia Topuria last fought. That was back on October 26, 2024, at UFC 308, where he defended his featherweight title against Max Holloway, knocking him out in the third round. However, the wait is over, and Ilia Topuria now has a return date: June 28 at UFC 317, which will take place in Las Vegas.

“Camp has started”

Ilia Topuria needed just four words to let all his fans—and also his fiercest rivals—know he was back: “Camp has started.” That was the message in his latest post on X, announcing that his training camp is officially underway as he prepares to show up in top form at UFC 317, where he’ll look to keep his impressive undefeated record (16-0) and once again claim the lightweight title.

A few hours after Ilia Topuria’s announcement on social media, Álvaro Colmenero, an ABC journalist specializing in MMA, confirmed on X that “Ilia Topuria will fight during International Fight Week, for a title, according to what I’ve been told.” This information was also verified by Irati Prat from MARCA. So, while we await an official announcement from UFC, it’s a fact that Ilia Topuria will be part of the event in Las Vegas.

UFC will soon announce Ilia Topuria’s opponent for UFC 317

According to MARCA, everything changed when Dricus Du Plessis, the middleweight champion, suffered an injury with an undetermined recovery time. This was a major setback for UFC, as it forced them to postpone the originally planned main event in Las Vegas against Khamzat Chimaev.

As a result, UFC began working to set up a fight that could give the card more media appeal, beyond the scheduled bout between Alexandre Pantoja and Kai Kara-France for the flyweight title. That’s why, once it’s confirmed whether his opponent will be Islam Makhachev or Charles Oliveira, UFC and Dana White will officially announce the event. In the meantime, Ilia Topuria continues preparing in training camp.