Ilia Topuria spoke candidly about his loss to Justin Gaethje at UFC Freedom 250 and shared a new revelation. Topuria admitted that he did not want his family to see him in the condition he was in.
‘El Matador’ lost the UFC lightweight championship to Gaethje in the main event of the historic White House event last June. Since then, he has remained out of action to recover from the injuries he sustained.
Topuria absorbed significant damage, the most he has ever endured in his career so far. He admitted that he had never felt emotional after a fight because of his previous unbeaten record. However, he revealed that he struggled with with sadness following the loss while also trying to mask his feelings.
Ilia Topuria Makes Candid Admission Following Justin Gaethje Loss
Ilia Topuria was obviously disappointed to lose the lightweight championship to Justin Gaethje at UFC Freedom 250.
Speaking with journalist Adam Catterall, Topuria revealed that he did not want his family to see him in the hospital after his loss. ‘El Matador’ was emotional and had significant swelling after the loss.
As a result, ‘El Matador’ became worried about his mother seeing the damage he sustained.
“The next morning when I woke up, my mom was there, my dad was there. I wasn’t allowing anyone to come into my room. I didn’t want my mom to see me in that situation. It was a weird experience. I told everyone, ‘I don’t want to see anyone in my room, I want to rest.’ But then I spoke to the team, and they told me everyone was worried and wanted to see me,” Topuria told One on One.
Topuria revealed that he coped the situation involving his parents by lightening the mood and making jokes about what happened.
“I was trying to make some fun about everything that had happened because everyone was so serious. Some people were almost crying,” Topuria said. “I didn’t want them to see me in that situation. Sad and crying. And actually, I never had the moment. I never really cried or I never was really sad. It happened and it is what it is. I’m not gonna torture myself because of what happened,” Topuria said.
Topuria Credits His Brother for Saving His Career
Topuria also credited his brother, Aleksandre for saving his fighting career at UFC Freedom 250.
According to the former two-division UFC champion, there was a strong possibility he would have lost his vision if he had continued fighting.
“If [Aleksandre] hadn’t stopped me from fighting, I probably wouldn’t have been able to fight again in my life,” Topuria told One on One. “I’m so grateful to my brother that he decided to stop me.”
He added: “It would be really sad [for] me if I would hear from a doctor or from anyone that I wouldn’t be able to fight anymore.”
Ilia Topuria Makes Candid Admission Following Justin Gaethje Loss