The first defeat of his career doesn't seem to have extinguished Ilia Topuria 's chances of returning to the top. After the loss to Justin Gaethje , at UFC Casa Branca , on June 14th, in Washington DC, the Georgian received a vote of confidence from Islam Makhachev . The current welterweight champion (up to 77,1 kg) will headline next Saturday (15), against Ian Garry , in Philadelphia.
In an interview with Demetrious Johnson 's YouTube channel , available this Tuesday (11), Makhachev stated that Topuria still has time to recover from the setback and become champion again. For the Russian, 'El Matador' needs to stay focused to be able to rebuild his trajectory within the biggest MMA organization in the world.
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“He’s still young, man, he has time. I hope he comes back. Ilia is a good fighter. If he focuses, maybe he’ll be champion again. But this fight [against Gaethje] changed his life. But we don’t know in which direction,” said Islam Makhachev.
The loss to Gaethje marked Topuria's first defeat in the UFC and interrupted the streak that had taken him to the top of the lightweight division (up to 70,3 kg). Now, the Spaniard will have to rebuild his path to a new title fight, but, in Makhachev's view, he still has enough age and quality to return to the top.
Remember the confrontation between Justin Gaethje and Ilia Topuria
Topuria was punished by Gaethje in the UFC. Photo: Reproduction/Instagram/UFC
Topuria entered the fight against Gaethje riding high after winning the lightweight title (up to 70,3 kg) against Charles Oliveira and still undefeated in professional MMA, with 17 wins. The duel, held at UFC Casa Branca , pitted the undisputed champion against the then-interim champion for the unification of the belt.
However, the Georgian found an opponent willing to impose an intense pace from the first minutes. Justin Gaethje prevailed in a very balanced and tough fight, until the second round, when the American grew stronger and dominated until the fight was stopped after the fourth round by decision of Ilia Topuria 's team . With the result, the American won the title and inflicted the first defeat of his rival's career.
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