This is the story of Paddy Pimblett, Mateusz Gamrot, Arman Tsarukyan, Ilia Topuria, and how every road, skillset, rivalry, and storyline eventually circles back to the most dominant lightweight of the era - Islam Makhachev.
And to understand who is next, we have to understand how each contender was forged. Luckily, your favorite MMA blog Atacamma has been covering the entire journey across dozens of articles.
Let’s dive in.
⭐ The Lightweight Roadmap: From Chaos to Contenders
The UFC lightweight division has always been stacked, but the modern era has turned it into a pressure cooker. While fans debate superfights like “Alex Pereira vs Jon Jones – Is White Magic Real?” (read here: Alex Pereira vs. Jon Jones), the 155 division has quietly been forming a perfect storm.
Here’s the progression many fans now see as the true road to Islam:
➡️ Paddy Pimblett
➡️ Mateusz Gamrot
➡️ Arman Tsarukyan
➡️ Ilia Topuria
➡️ And then... Islam Makhachev
These men represent the new generation. They aren’t just fighters - they’re walking stylesheets, each representing a different discipline, something we highlighted in “The 7 Levels of UFC Fighter” (The 7 Levels of UFC Fighter).
And the truth?
Only a handful are capable of actually threatening the champ.
⭐ Paddy Pimblett: The Popularity Wild Card
Paddy “The Baddy” Pimblett is the oddball of this list - not because he lacks talent, but because he represents the entertainment side of MMA.
We broke this down earlier in “When Your MMA Bro Breaks Up With You” (When Your MMA Bro Breaks Up With You) - fighters like Paddy create emotional chaos in the fanbase.
Paddy has good jiu-jitsu, tricky scrambles, and explosive pressure, but he has not yet displayed the essential tools found in the "4 Essential Wrestling Techniques for MMA" (4 Essential Wrestling Techniques for MMA).
He’s fun, he’s flashy, but he’s not next for Islam.
He’s simply the start of the conversation - a cultural marker that reminds us the lightweight division is evolving.
⭐ Mateusz Gamrot: The Scramble Machine
If anyone was created inside a laboratory to prepare Islam for chaos, it’s Mateusz Gamrot.
He’s the closest thing MMA has to perpetual motion.
Gamrot’s style is exactly what we explored in “How to Strike When You Are Gassed Out” (How to Strike When You're Gassed): he weaponizes exhaustion. The deeper the fight goes, the more dangerous he becomes.
Gamrot represents the “machine” archetype, something we also wrote about in “Merab Dvalishvili – The Machine Who Never Stops Moving” (Merab Dvalishvili).
Yet even with all that forward pressure, even with his creative transitions, Gamrot still doesn’t have the one ingredient needed to beat Islam:
top-tier anti-control grappling.
Islam slows you. Islam silences your scrambles. Islam suffocates momentum.
Gamrot is close… but not next.
⭐ Arman Tsarukyan: The Man Who Already Fought Islam
Arman Tsarukyan is not a “maybe.” He’s not hype.
He is the one man who has already gone to war with Islam and survived.
That fight - the one we dissected in various grappling articles such as “All Steps You Need to Become a UFC Fighter” (Become a UFC Fighter) - was pure high-level madness.
Since then Arman evolved, incorporating striking fundamentals from pieces like “Top Muay Thai Gear Every Fighter Needs” (Muay Thai Gear Guide).
He:
🔥 wrestles like a Dagestani
🔥 strikes like a kickboxer
🔥 scrambles like a Georgian
🔥 has cardio like a triathlete
If anyone deserves to be next for Islam - it’s Arman.
But then something unexpected happened…
⭐ Ilia Topuria: The New Chaos of the UFC
Ilia Topuria wasn’t supposed to be here.
He was supposed to be the featherweight king after the iconic clash we covered in “Ilia Topuria – Spain’s UFC Powerhouse” (Ilia Topuria).
Then he obliterated the fanbase again in “Ilia Topuria vs Justin Gaethje – A War Fans Didn’t Expect” (Topuria vs Gaethje).
Ilia is:
⚡ explosive
⚡ accurate
⚡ fearless
⚡ a true finishing machine
He’s what we described in “The Atacamma Hall of Fame – Best Fighters of All Time” (Hall of Fame):
fighters with champion DNA.
Topuria is jumping divisions, chasing greatness, building a legacy.
The UFC loves superfights.
Fans love chaos.
And Islam?
He loves challenges.
Ilia might be the wildcard opponent the UFC pushes before Arman.
⭐ What Makes Islam So Hard to Beat?
Islam Makhachev isn’t just a grappler.
He is the final evolution of the martial arts journey we analyzed in:
🦂 “What Is MMA – Mixed Martial Arts?”
🦂 “Other Martial Arts – The Hidden Influences in MMA”
(Other Martial Arts)
Islam combines:
🥇 Khabib-level control
🥈 world-class submissions
🥉 elite striking that we broke down in “How to Start Mixed Martial Arts”
He is the complete fighter.
Which is why the world keeps asking:
⭐ So… Who Is Actually Next for Islam Makhachev?
Let’s break it down with icons.
🛡️ Paddy Pimblett – Not ready
🔥 Mateusz Gamrot – Close, but not the threat
⚔️ Arman Tsarukyan – The real technical challenge
🦅 Ilia Topuria – The superfight challenge
🏔️ Islam Makhachev – The mountain
If merit decides:
➡️ Arman Tsarukyan is next.
If money decides:
➡️ Ilia Topuria is next.
If chaos decides:
➡️ Gamrot sneaks in. (or Gaethji)
If the UFC wants a blockbuster megafight:
➡️ Topuria jumps the line.
⭐ The Extra Storylines That Point to Future Matchups
MMA is not just styles - it’s stories.
Some of these storylines were already set up in articles like:
“Joshua Van – Fast Rising Flyweight” (Joshua Van)
“Ignacio Bahamondes – Lightweight Threat” (Ignacio Bahamondes)
These emerging talents will eventually enter the Islam conversation.
Not today.
Maybe not tomorrow.
But soon.
⭐ Islam vs Topuria: The Superfight the UFC Wants
Topuria’s rise mirrors legendary MMA stories like those in “Atacamma Hall of Fame” (Hall of Fame) and the fight movie spirit in “Top MMA Movies & Trailers” (MMA Movies).
He is the type of star who transcends divisions.
He is McGregor-esque, early Aldo-like, a new breed.
But is he the one to dethrone Islam?
Probably not… yet.
⭐ Islam vs Arman 2: The Fight Purists Want
This is the technical masterpiece.
A chess match played at 100 km/h.
If you read “4 Essential Wrestling Techniques for MMA” (4 Essential Wrestling Techniques) you’ll know exactly why this is the matchup with the deepest strategic layers.
This is the fight for the soul of the lightweight division.
And purists know it.
⭐ So Who Is Next for Islam Makhachev?
✔️ Most deserved if beating Ilia: Arman Tsarukyan
✔️ Most everything: Ilia Topuria
✔️ Most unlikey but interesting: Mateusz Gamrot
✔️ Most unlikely but funny: Paddy Pimblett
The UFC will decide based on timing, marketing, and momentum.
But at the end of the day…
The mountain doesn't move.
The climbers do.
And sooner or later - one of them will stand across the cage from Islam Makhachev.
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