If Ilia Topuria had beaten Justin Gaethje at the White House, as oddsmakers and most fans had predicted, it could have compelled the 29-year-old to retire. Sadly and happily, that didn’t happen, meaning Topuria still has more to offer.
The Georgian-Spaniard has now revealed how many more times he plans to compete before calling it a career.
Ilia Topuria Says Fans Will Now See Him a “Little While Longer”
In a recent interview with Alvaro Colmenero, the Georgian-Spaniard confessed he was contemplating retirement before the Justin Gaethje UFC Freedom 250 title unification bout. However, since the outcome wasn’t as anticipated, fans can now look forward to at least 2-3 more fights from him. He said:
“This defeat didn’t put out the fire. It made it much bigger. Lately I’d been thinking, ‘I’ve achieved everything, and after this fight, what else? Maybe I’ll even retire.’ And now it’s like it brought me back. The flame became much bigger. It gave me a completely different kind of motivation. You’ll see, and you’ll keep enjoying me for a little while longer. Two or three fights, yes. For sure.”
Check out Ilia Topuria’s comments below:
The sole setback and title loss haven’t slowed down “El Matador,” and he already has a chilling warning for his next opponent. Topuria told Fight Disciples:
“The defeat didn’t turn off the fire. It made it bigger. Put me against anyone, and I’m going to change their lives physically. Now they’re to face a man that saw everything. Nothing scares me.”
Check out Ilia Topuria’s comments below:
The former two-division UFC champion plans to start hardcore MMA training in January and expects to return to the octagon in the second quarter of 2027. He has shown interest in fighting Paddy Pimblett but also believes he and Justin Gaethje will definitely run it back sometime soon before the 37-year-old retires.
