Ilia Topuria Says His First Career Loss Made Him More Motivated Than Ever

Ilia Topuria recently came back on social media. Fans could only spot him in his friends’ posts, but he hadn’t made any personal posts himself. When he did return, his first post was a heartfelt message to his son Hugo, thanking him and mentioning that they both grew stronger after his first loss.

Not too long ago, Topuria seemed untouchable to pretty much everyone. Then Gaethje came along and turned the whole thing upside down in one of the most shocking results the sport has seen in years. Meanwhile, he recently dropped multiple comments about his defeat and how motivated he feels right now.

Ilia Topuria Says He Is More Motivated Than Ever

Topuria says his first career loss didn’t break his motivation. If anything, it made him even hungrier to return. He explained that losing made him want to train harder, come back stronger, and prove himself all over again.

“Something happened that I did not expect: defeat did not extinguish the fire. It made it bigger. I wanted more than ever to train, to return, and to do things right. I had hit the ground, but hitting the ground does not mean you have to stay there. You can also use it to push yourself back up,” The 29-year-old said via Instagram.

Topuria also opened up about what a real defeat would look like to him, and losing a fight isn’t it. For him, the day he stops loving what he does is the day he is truly beaten. That fire is clearly still burning, and fans are counting down the days until he is back. Now, many predicting he will face Paddy Pimblett in December.

Ilia Topuria Talks About His Next Fight

Ilia Topuria opened up about his career and his loss to Justin Gaethje in a personal essay on his website. As everyone speculates about his next fight, “El Matador” himself revealed that he doesn’t know when or where he is going to fight next. In an Instagram video, he said:

“I do not know what my next fight will look like, and I cannot promise any result. But I can promise something that depends entirely on me: you will not see me stop trying."

The Spanish fighter also said he doesn’t want people to see him as someone who never falls, but as someone who gets knocked down and always chooses to get back up. The former champion’s next fight will be very crucial, as he needs to rebuild his confidence first.