Ilia Topuria’s brother reportedly set for UFC return in November

Aleksandre Topuria, the older brother of former UFC featherweight and lightweight champion Ilia Topuria, is in talks to return to competition at UFC Qatar on November 21 in Doha. The 30-year-old bantamweight would face Santiago Luna in what would mark his first fight since November 2024, when he defeated Bekzat Almakhan by unanimous decision for his second UFC victory. Aleksandre has spent recent years primarily coaching his brother, stepping away from active competition. Luna, who holds a 8-1 professional record, is 2-1 inside the UFC and is coming off a submission loss to Bryce Mitchell in June. The bout is not yet officially confirmed. Meanwhile, Ilia Topuria has recently suffered a loss to Justin Gaethje at UFC Freedom 250, where he lost his lightweight title and is expected to return to action in 2027. Another middleweight matchup rumored for the same Qatar card is a clash between Ikram Aliskerov and former title challenger Jared Cannonier.