Ilia Topuria finally lost a fight, which allowed him to be better than ever.
In June, Topuria defended his lightweight title against Justin Gaethje in the main event of the UFC White House. Topuria was a big favorite and he won; It was widely anticipated that “El Matador” would have the rare opportunity to pursue three-time champion status by challenging Islam Makhachev for the welterweight title. Instead, Gaethje scored one of the upsets of the year, beating Topuria to a corner late in the fourth round.
Since the loss, Topuria has remained quiet, but earlier this week, UFC CEO Dana White revealed that the promotion was planning for Topuria to return in early 2027, and with his return on the horizon, Topuria has started making the media rounds again.
On Thursday, ABC Diario published an excerpt of an excerpt from an upcoming interview with Topuria, in which he discusses the loss to Gaethje and his comeback.
“I was in the worst situation a fighter could be in,” Topuria said in the clip. “I had the worst day of my career. What’s worse than that? Dying?”
“Whether something was wrong is a question I’ve had to face over the last five or six months, but one thing is clear: You either win or you lose; and I lost. If I wake up in the morning and I look in the mirror and I’m like, ‘No, no, no, no, no, that’s not me.’
Topuria appears to be at peace with this defeat, and although he intends to return to action, the former two-division champion suggests he might even retire after his return.
“I accomplished everything, and after this fight, what else? » said Topuria. “Maybe I’ll even retire.”
But retirement appears to be a future conversation. For now, Topuria is focused on his return, where he promises to be better than ever.
“Like you’ve never seen it before,” Topuria said. “It is from April that we plan to return. I have always been aware that in this life not everything is rosy, even if I have never experienced it before.”
And when he returns, one name comes to mind: his long-time rival, Paddy Pimblett.
“Paddy, Paddy, Paddy,” said Topuria. “I’m going to eat him like a sausage, which he is.”
Gn sports
