A close friend of former UFC lightweight champion Ilia Topuria has shared an update on the 29-year-old’s condition after he sustained significant damage in the UFC Freedom 250 headliner against Justin Gaethje at the White House.
Gaethje defeated Topuria via technical knockout after four rounds to become the undisputed lightweight champion. ‘The Highlight’ landed the heavier blows throughout the fight and compromised Topuria’s vision with clean jabs and uppercuts.
Topuria’s face was unrecognizable after the fight, leaving fans worried about his health. Pablo Matos, a close friend of Topuria, has shared an update on the physical and mental state of the former two-weight champion. He stated:
“This morning I was with Ilia. He has fractures in his orbital bones, in his nose.
This morning they were treating his wounds and he still couldn’t open his eyes properly.
Then we were talking about something we’re going to do this summer, making jokes, and then he said a phrase I loved. He looks at me with his eyes closed and says, ‘Champions, when we fall, we fall hard.’
They’re already looking toward the future. He was telling me, ‘I’d love to do the rematch in Spain with Gaethje.'”
Check out Pablo Matos’ comments about Ilia Topuria below:
Dana White urges Ilia Topuria to rest and recover after brutal UFC Freedom 250 damage
Speaking about the Georgian-Spaniard’s condition at the UFC Freedom 250 post-fight press conference, Dana White said ‘El Matador’ was “pretty busted up” and advised him to focus on recovery. White stated:
“My plans for him are to go home and rest and recover, take his time. Tonight was a rough night for him. I just want to make sure that he’s healthy and good. I’m not even thinking about him fighting again. I just want him to go home and relax, rest, and heal.”
Check out Dana White’s comments about Ilia Topuria below:
Topuria has a long road to recovery ahead, and it seems unlikely that he will return to action before next year. It will be interesting to see whether the UFC grants him an immediate rematch against Gaethje or makes him fight for the No. 1 contender spot.
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