Ilia Topuria Reveals A Loss to Justin Gaethje Gave Him a Reason to Keep Fighting
Ilia Topuria was close to calling it a career even before he lost his lightweight title to Justin Gaethje. The former two-division champion questioned himself about what he had left to achieve.
But his first defeat changed that mindset. He now believes that fans will see him compete another two to three times before he plans to retire.
Topuria Explains Why Retirement Was on His Mind
Before UFC Freedom 250 at the White House in June, the Spaniard had won all 17 of his pro fights and held UFC gold in the featherweight and lightweight divisions. Justin Gaethje then handed "El Matador" his first loss after his brother Aleksandre, who was in his corner, decided to stop the bout at the end of round 4.
In a recent exclusive interview with ABC's Alvaro Colmenero, the Georgian Spaniard admitted that he had been thinking about retiring if he won at UFC Freedom 250. He felt that he had already achieved his goals that he set for himself. However, losing that bout motivated him to keep moving forward.
"This defeat didn't put out the fire. It made it much bigger," Topuria said.
In another interview with Adam Catterall, Ilia Topuria said that after so many wins, competing had started to feel normal, and he no longer had that hunger until his loss to Gaethje forced him to look at himself differently.
The 29-year-old confessed that the setback took him time to accept, yet he does not regret going through it. In the initial days after the fight, he admitted that he did not want to meet anyone, including his parents and his team.
Topuria Wants Another Shot at Gaethje Before Retiring
With retirement no longer included in his recent plans, Topuria now wants to achieve more in the octagon. During the same interview with Catterall, he said he wanted to be remembered alongside MMA legends like Georges St-Pierre, a fighter he admires.
As for his next fight, "El Matador" wants to run it back with the lightweight champion. Although he has accepted his defeat, the rivalry is far from over.
"I want to have my rematch, and it's gonna happen at some point," Topuria said.
Meanwhile, Topuria is planning to head back to the training camp in January. He has already started doing technical work and strength and conditioning but has not resumed sparring and grappling.
If his recovery goes well and the doctors give him a green signal, he may begin competing sometime between April and June in 2027. In addition to Gaethje, the Spaniard also named Paddy Pimblett and Arman Tsarukyan as potential opponents. He believes a fight against them would be a good matchup in the lightweight division.
