Aleksandre Topuria, the brother of former UFC lightweight champion Ilia Topuria, reacted after his brother’s bad loss at UFC Freedom 250.

Despite entering his UFC White House main event fight against Justin Gaethje as a huge betting favorite, Topuria was beaten via fourth-round TKO when his corner, including his brother Aleksandre, called off the fight as Topuria could not see due to all the damage Gaethje did to his face and eyes.

It was one of the biggest upsets of all time in mixed martial arts, and it capped off what was an absolutely incredible night of fights at UFC Freedom 250, which took place on the White House lawn in Washington, D.C.

Aleksandre Topuria Reacts to Brother Ilia Topuria’s TKO Loss

Taking to his social media in the hours after his little brother lost, the older Topuria brother shared his reaction to what transpired in the main event of UFC Freedom 250.

“Proud of everything you do and have done my brother. In victory or in learning, always grateful to God for everything,” Aleksandre Topuria wrote on Instagram.

It must not have been an easy decision for Aleksandre to throw in the towel and call for a corner stoppage for his brother. However, it was undoubtedly the correct one, as Ilia took far too much damage during this fight.

Yet, for some reason, the cageside doctor refused to call off the fight at the end of the third round, and referee Marc Goddard really seemed to have an agenda to keep the fight going at any cost, despite Topuria saying in his corner that he couldn’t see.

In the end, Topuria’s brother decided to stop the fight, and you have to respect it, as it was ultimately the right decision, and one that saved him to fight another day, even if the loss will sting right now.

What’s Next for Ilia Topuria?

This kind of TKO loss is the type of career-changing loss that could potentially send Topuria on a downward spiral in his career just because of the amount of damage that Gaethje inflicted on him.

We all know how talented a fighter Topuria is. But he has mostly been a frontrunner during his MMA career, and against Gaethje, that didn’t fly as he was soundly beaten down and lost via corner stoppage TKO in one of the biggest upsets we have ever seen inside the Octagon.

After taking the past year off due to personal issues, Topuria will likely need at least six months off to rest and recover after the beating he took against Gaethje, but he might need even more time than that.

When he does return, there are plenty of exciting matchups for him in the top 10 of the UFC lightweight division.

But as far as pursuing a third belt against UFC welterweight champion Islam Makhachev, that is likely never going to happen now after what took place here in this fight against Gaethje at UFC Freedom 250, as this was truly a career-changing defeat for the Georgian.