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Ilia Topuria breaks silence.
Former UFC featherweight and lightweight champion Ilia Topuria has broken his silence following his UFC White House loss to Justin Gaethje.
Topuria entered the bout as a sizable betting favorite, and early on, he had plenty of success and nearly finished Gaethje in the second round. However, Gaethje took over and dominated Topuria and battered his face en route to a corner stoppage at the end of the fourth round.
Following the loss, Topuria took to Instagram to issue a statement and gave plenty of praise to Gaethje.
“Justin, congratulations,” Topuria wrote on Instagram. “You said you’d leave your mark on my face… and you did. You took the sight from my right eye in the first round, and by the end of the second, from my left too. No excuses. I had one of the best camps of my life. I came in sharp, prepared, and ready. Last night was your night.
“That’s the nature of this game. Glory and pain walk side by side. I’ll heal. I’ll rest. And I’ll return stronger, wiser, and far more dangerous. And trust me… this story between us is far from over. We will have our rematch.”
With the loss, Topuria fell to 17-1 and lost his lightweight title in his first attempt at defending it.
More to come.
Cole Shelton Cole Shelton covers the NHL, MLB, Buffalo Bills, Pittsburgh Steelers and Cleveland Browns for Heavy.com. He has covered pro and college sports since 2016, including bylines at BJ Penn, USA Today, SB Nation, Rotowire, Canadian Baseball Network and more. More about Cole Shelton