Ilia Topuria may have lost his UFC lightweight title to Justin Gaethje at the UFC White House event earlier this year, but “El Matador” seems to retain the same confidence he had before the fight.
It seems like an eternity since fight fans last saw Topuria compete in the Octagon, but it’s only been five months since the former UFC champion got a reality check on Gaethje’s White House lawn. Not only was it the first loss of Topuria’s MMA career, but it happened on the biggest stage possible. Not every fighter can recover from this.
Fortunately for Topuria, her resolve is much stronger than anyone thought. The supremely talented lightweight was served a huge slice of humble pie in front of millions, but his confidence doesn’t seem to have wavered. In fact, Topuria refuses to believe he can lose and made that clear in an exclusive interview earlier this week.
“I’ve been in the worst situation a fighter can be in. I’ve had the worst day of my career. What’s worse than that? Death.
“But one thing’s for sure: You either win or you lose. And I lost. I wake up in the morning and I look in the mirror and I’m like, no, no, no, that’s not me.”