“The GOAT is back”: UFC fans react to Ilia Topuria’s training return

Ilia Topuria has been out of action since his devastating defeat against Justin Gaethje at UFC Fight Night 250. A few weeks ago, he confirmed that he is ready to return, and his latest social media post featuring training pictures has set the internet buzzing, with fans reacting strongly.

Ilia Topuria’s training return sparks massive reaction from UFC fans

Topuria took to his Instagram account and shared pictures of him working on his striking, signaling that he has resumed training after spending months recovering from his first professional defeat.

He captioned the post, writing, "Back to the office."

Check out Ilia Topuria's post below:

This post made waves online and quickly went viral, sparking reactions from the MMA community. 

One supporter specifically urged Topuria to face Pimblett. He commented, “U gotta fight Paddy bro,” a fan commented. 

Another one simply wrote, “The GOAT is back.”

A fan backed Topuria to bounce back strongly from his first professional defeat. He added, “Let's go, Ilia! Time to prove all those people who talked sh*t about you wrong.. Let your performance do the talking.” 

Others floated a potential matchup against Renato Moicano, writing, “Topuria X Moicano.” 

MMA fans demanded Topuria to finish Pimblett in a potential fight, commenting, “My goat please slime out Paddy.” 

One fan also suggested that the loss to Gaethje could ultimately help Topuria grow as a fighter, writing, “Ilia learned not to fight with his ego... now he will be literally be the best version on himself. Live n learn. He's gonna be a problem for a long long time.” 

Check out fan reactions below:

Topuria was a heavy favorite against Gaethje in their fight at UFC Fight Night 250, where the Spaniard was defending his lightweight title for the first time. However, the night went completely upside down from 'El Matador's' plans of finishing the American within two rounds.

Topuria took serious damage from Gaethje. His face was bruised, and his eyes were almost swollen shut. After the fourth round, the Spaniard's corner stopped the fight, awarding the victory to 'The Highlight.'

Many believed that Topuria himself called for the fight to be stopped, and a narrative circulated that 'El Matador' had quit the fight. Recently, Gaethje weighed in on the discussion and shed light on what happened.

Justin Gaethje clears up claims that Ilia Topuria quit in their fight

Gaethje pushed back on the idea that Topuria quit on his own. He emphasized that 'El Matador's' body was too compromised to safely continue and that his corner made the decision because that's part of their responsibility.

“He didn’t quit on the stool, his body was too compromised to continue fighting. He didn’t make the call, his coaches made the call because they’re there to protect him. My coaches are in my corner to protect me in those times,” Gaethje said.

Looking at the damage Topuria suffered, many had ruled out a comeback this year or even early next year. That said, his training pictures tell a different story. It seems he has healed and recovered fully, and is now gearing up to make his highly anticipated return to the octagon.