Former UFC featherweight and lightweight champion Ilia Topuria has broken his silence following his UFC White House loss to Justin Gaethje.
Topuria entered the bout as a sizable betting favorite, and early on, he had plenty of success and nearly finished Gaethje in the second round. However, Gaethje took over and dominated Topuria and battered his face en route to a corner stoppage at the end of the fourth round.
Following the loss, Topuria took to Instagram to issue a statement and gave plenty of praise to Gaethje.
“Justin, congratulations,” Topuria wrote on Instagram. “You said you’d leave your mark on my face… and you did. You took the sight from my right eye in the first round, and by the end of the second, from my left too. No excuses. I had one of the best camps of my life. I came in sharp, prepared, and ready. Last night was your night.
“That’s the nature of this game. Glory and pain walk side by side. I’ll heal. I’ll rest. And I’ll return stronger, wiser, and far more dangerous. And trust me… this story between us is far from over. We will have our rematch.”
With the loss, Topuria fell to 17-1 and lost his lightweight title in his first attempt at defending it.
Dana White Reacts to Ilia Topuria’s ‘Rough Night’
In the main event of UFC White House on Sunday night, Topuria was looking to defend his belt for the first time against Gaethje.
Topuria entered the bout as a huge betting favorite, and many expected him to make quick work of Gaethje. At the post-fight press conference, UFC CEO Dana White gave an update on Topuria and confirmed he was sent to a local hospital.
“We literally had him get out of the octagon before the hand was even raised and sent him to the hospital,” White said. “Ilia’s in the hospital. He’s busted up. I’m not a doctor, but his eye looked like he probably has a broken orbital. I don’t know that; that’s not a fact. I’m just assuming.”
As for what’s next for Topuria, all White wanted was for him to get some rest and not even think about fighting.
“My plans for him are to go home and rest and recover – take his time,” White said. “Tonight was a rough night for him. I just want to make sure he’s healthy and good and not even thinking about him fighting again. I just want him to go home and relax and rest and heal.”
Topuria fell to 17-1 as a pro.
Gaethje Uncertain How Topuria Responds
After Gaethje’s stunning upset win at UFC White House, he admitted he isn’t sure what Topuria does from here.
It could be a career-altering loss for Topuria, who took plenty of damage from Gaethje.
“I am such a huge fan of this kid but where do you go from here?” Gaethje said on the UFC White House post-fight show. “It’s going to be a very tough climb back. I’ve never had the mindset he had. I never thought of myself as unbeatable or infallible, I said it from day one, I’m going to get knocked out with the way I fight, with how crazy this sport is.
“I don’t want to say anything bad about this guy. He was a world champion and I seized my opportunity to take it from him. But he is in the hospital right now and I’m not.”
Gaethje is now the undisputed lightweight champion for the first time after being the interim champion twice.
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