Ilia Topuria breaks silence after upset UFC title loss to Justin Gaethje

Former UFC Lightweight champion Ilia Topuria has issued a defiant statement following a monumental upset loss to Justin Gaethje at UFC Freedom 250. 

Less than 24 hours after getting absolutely mashed up by Justin Gaethje, the former lightweight champ took to Instagram with a message that was equal parts battered, respectful and threatening. 

"Justin, congratulations. You said you'd leave your mark on my face... and you did," Topuria wrote. 

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.” 

Topuria wasn’t making excuses for his loss either - despite it being the first of his professional career. 

“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,” he wrote. 

And trust me… this story between us is far from over. We will have our rematch.

The fight has racked 2.6 million likes, with fans flooding the comments with love and support. 

The statement comes after one of the biggest upsets we've seen in years.

Gaethje entered the fight as a 6-1 underdog and, at 37 years old, many reckoned he was well past his best. 

Instead, he produced the performance of his life, systematically dismantling one of the pound-for-pound best fighters on the planet.

Topuria's face was so badly damaged that his corner stopped the fight between rounds four and five. By then, he was barely recognisable. 

"I knew I was going to have to get through the first round," Gaethje said afterwards. 

"His skills are unmatched when he's fresh and I'm fresh, but my durability, my tenacity and my heart will carry me through those first couple rounds, and nobody can outwork me in Round 3, and especially the championship rounds."

Gaethje described how he told himself “he was going to lose”, so that he could go “to my most primal place”. 

As for UFC fans on the internet, opinions were flying. 

 Some fans praised Topuria for owning the loss without excuses, while others immediately started dreaming up the Hollywood ending for Gaethje's career.

One Reddit user wrote: "Gotta give him his kudos for coming right out saying no excuses. I love it 👏."

Another reckons: "Justin NEEDS to retire. His career as of now is DEADASS like a fucking movie LMAOOO. Ending at a championship after trying SOOO hard all these years, beating one of the current goats and taking the title."

Something tells us Topuria isn't ready to let that fairytale ending happen just yet.