Ilia Topuria has issued a statement on his first loss as a professional, crediting opponent Justin Gaethje for keeping a certain promise.
On Sunday, Topuria retired on his stool between rounds four and five, as the main event of the UFC’s White House card ended in a huge upset. With that, interim champion Gaethje won the undisputed UFC lightweight title at the third time of asking.
It was a back-and-forth fight, but one in which Gaethje left Topuria’s face badly damaged from the early phases, with a doctor suggesting the bout should be stopped after round three – only to second guess himself, as referee Marc Goddard expressed a desire to avoid ending the fight in that fashion.
Yet after the fourth round, Topuria was unable to continue anyway. He was taken to a local hospital in Washington, DC, shortly after the fight had ended.
Now, the Spanish-Georgian has reacted to his first loss, writing on Instagram on Monday: “Justin, congratulations. 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.”
At Sunday’s post-fight press conference, UFC president and CEO Dana 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, but I’m just assuming.
“And my plans for him are to go home and rest and recover and take his time and... You know, tonight was a rough night for him.
“I just want to make sure he’s healthy and good, and I’m not even thinking about him fighting again. I just want him to go home and relax and rest.”
Topuria, 29, and American Gaethje, 37, headlined Sunday’s fight card on the South Lawn, which was meant as a celebration of 250 years of the United Sates.
It also coincided with the 80th birthday of US President Donald Trump, who watched from ringside before congratulating Gaethje, a friend of his.
Topuria entered Sunday’s event as the UFC’s pound-for-pound No 2 fighter, although many fans deemed him the No 1 ahead of Islam Makhachev.
