Ilia Topuria is no longer undefeated, and for the first time in his mixed martial arts career, he’ll have to regroup.
The Spanish-Georgian star lost the undisputed UFC lightweight title to Justin Gaethje over the weekend.
Topuria fell to 17-1 in MMA with his first loss being a technical knockout due to him not getting off the stool ahead of the final round of the main event of UFC Freedom 250 this past weekend at the White House in Washington, D.C.
The 155-pound fighters each landed and absorbed more than 90 significant strikes in a bout that was named Fight of the Night at the conclusion of the event, but it was Topuria who sustained far more visible damage.
Topuria was a heavy betting favourite entering the match and nearly finished Gaethje in the second round after landing a devastating body shot. Instead of following up with more strikes, though, Topuria followed Gaethje to the ground and attempted multiple submissions as Gaethje stayed composed and recovered.
Gaethje was resilient and gave Topuria the toughest test of his fighting career to date and the American pulled off one of the more memorable championship upsets in UFC history on home soil.
“Justin, congratulations. You said you’d leave your mark on my face… and you did,” Topuria wrote in his first remarks following his loss. “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.”
Gaethje, 37, hinted that he could potentially consider retirement after picking up the biggest win of his storied career, adding he wouldn’t rush any decision.
Topuria, 29, had been coming off consecutive title fight knockout wins over Alexander Volkanovski, Max Holloway and Charles Oliveira prior to facing Gaethje.
It is unclear how long Topuria’s recovery time will be, but he did sustain multiple lacerations on his face plus plenty of swelling and bruising.