Ilia Topuria opens up on loss to Justin Gaethje, calls for Paddy Pimblett in April

Ilia Topuria finally lost a fight, and that has set him free to be better than ever.

In June, Topuria defended his lightweight title against Justin Gaethje in the main event of UFC White House. Topuria was a heavy favorite, and he won; it was widely anticipated that “El Matador” would get the rare opportunity to pursue triple-champ status by moving up to challenge Islam Makhachev for the welterweight title. Instead, Gaethje scored one of the upsets of the year, battering Topuria to a corner stoppage at the end of the fourth round.

Since the loss, Topuria has mostly kept quiet, but earlier this week, UFC CEO Dana White revealed that the promotion was planning for Topuria’s return in early 2027, and with his comeback now on the horizon, Topuria has begun making the media rounds again.

On Thursday, ABC Diario released a preview clip of an upcoming interview with Topuria, where he addresses the loss to Gaethje and his comeback.

“I’ve been in the worst situation a fighter can possibly be in,” Topuria said in the clip. “I’ve experienced the worst day of my career. What’s worse than that? Dying?

“Was something off is a question I’ve had to face over the last five or six months, but one thing is clear: you either win or you lose; and I lost. If I wake up in the morning and look in the mirror and it was like, ‘No, no, no, no, no, this is not me.”

Topuria seems to be at peace with the loss, and while he intends to return to action, the former two-division champion suggests that he might even retire after he does come back.

“I’ve achieved everything, and after this fight, what else?” Topuria said. “Maybe I’ll even retire.”

But retirement appears to be a future conversation. For now, Topuria is focused on his return, where he promises to be better than ever.

“Like you have never seen him before,” Topuria said. “From April onward is when we are considering returning. I have always been aware that in this life, not everything is a bed of roses, even though I’ve never had it before.”

And when he does come back, there’s one name on his mind: longtime rival, Paddy Pimblett.

“Paddy, Paddy, Paddy,” Topuria said. “I’ll eat him like a sausage, which he is.”