TLDR
- Ilia Topuria posted on Instagram that he has returned to training after losing to Justin Gaethje at UFC Freedom 250
- The loss was the first of Topuria’s professional career, ending his 17-0 undefeated record
- Topuria’s corner stopped the fight between rounds four and five due to damage sustained
- Before the loss, Topuria had won championships in both featherweight and lightweight divisions
- Justin Gaethje has not decided if he will defend the lightweight title or retire from fighting
Sources: yardbarker.com | si.com | sports.yahoo.com
Former two-division UFC champion Ilia Topuria has returned to training for the first time since his shocking loss to Justin Gaethje at UFC Freedom 250. The 29-year-old fighter shared an Instagram post showing he was back in the gym, simply captioning it “Back to the office.”
Topuria suffered the first loss of his professional career when his corner stopped the fight between rounds four and five at The White House in June. The Georgian-Spanish fighter had built an undefeated 17-0 record before the setback.
The loss came during Topuria’s first defense of the UFC lightweight championship. He had moved up to lightweight after vacating his featherweight title earlier in the year.
🚨 Ilia Topuria will return to the public eye in the next few days, per @KOlmeneroMMA 👀
“Very soon within the next few days, I know Ilia is going to return to the public eye.
I still don’t know exactly how it’s going to happen, I don’t know what form it will take, but I do… pic.twitter.com/2qCbzOzvau
— Championship Rounds (@ChampRDS) September 3, 2026
Topuria won the vacant lightweight belt last summer when he knocked out Charles Oliveira at UFC 317. Before that, he had held the UFC featherweight championship and defended it successfully.
Topuria’s Path to Championship Success
Topuria joined the UFC in 2020 after starting his professional career with an 8-0 record. His first UFC win came against Youssef Zalal by unanimous decision.
He then went on a four-fight knockout streak before earning a title shot. A dominant victory over former interim title challenger Josh Emmett set up his championship opportunity.
At UFC 298, Topuria knocked out Alexander Volkanovski to win the featherweight title. The knockout marked Volkanovski’s first loss in the featherweight division.
Topuria defended his featherweight belt at UFC 308 by knocking out Max Holloway. Both Volkanovski and Holloway are considered future UFC Hall of Famers.
What’s Next for the Former Champion
Topuria nearly finished Gaethje during their 20-minute battle at The White House. However, the damage Topuria took led his corner to stop the fight before the fifth round.
The fighter stayed away from public view for an extended period after the loss. Discussions about his comeback have increased over the past month.
Gaethje remains noncommittal about his future plans as lightweight champion. He has not decided whether he will defend the title again or retire from fighting.
An immediate rematch between Topuria and Gaethje appears to be one option the UFC is considering for next year. The promotion could also choose to give Topuria more recovery time before booking his return fight.
If a rematch doesn’t happen, Arman Tsarukyan has emerged as another top contender. Tsarukyan knocked out Mauricio Ruffy in the co-main event of UFC 331 and has won six straight fights.
