Ilia Topuria continues to push for an immediate title shot in his return.

The former UFC lightweight champion is looking ahead to his next fight, having suffered his first loss in professional MMA last time out.

After the beating Topuria suffered against Justin Gaethje at UFC Freedom 250 on the White House lawn, he took some time away from the spotlight before returning to the public eye in September.

Now, ‘El Matador’ is calling on the fans to decide his next opponent, and the majority of responses are going the way he likely would have hoped for.

What happens if Paddy Pimblett is booked as Ilia Topuria’s comeback opponent? 🤔

Ilia Topuria asks fans to pick between Justin Gaethje and Paddy Pimblett fights

After Dana White said the former two-division champion’s next fight is in the works, Topuria provided an update on his return while giving his first media interview since losing the lightweight title.

The Spanish star is targeting April 2027 for his comeback, and there are seemingly two big names he is willing to entertain sharing the Octagon with.

Topuria’s preference is a rematch with Gaethje, as he looks to get revenge on ‘The Highlight’ for the brutal setback he suffered in Washington, DC, this past summer.

With the champion already dismissing that as a possibility, talk has turned to a potential grudge match between Topuria and Paddy Pimblett, which has been brewing ever since a hotel altercation in London over four years ago.

Despite Gaethje’s stance, Topuria still listed him alongside ‘The Baddy’ in a two-person poll to decide who fans want to see him fight next.

Hours into the vote on Instagram, a rematch against ‘The Highlight’ has run away with it, with just under 60% choosing him over Pimblett.

Topuria has a following of 18.8 million on Instagram and over 300,000 voted on the poll within the first seven hours of it being put up.

Of course, there may be a bias in the vote given how many of the former champ’s supporters likely took part.

They would no doubt share his wish to see the lightweight title brought back to Spain, perhaps skewing the vote toward the championship rematch with Gaethje.