Ilia Topuria is officially back – and apparently armed with one of the wildest excuses ever.
The former two-division Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) champion announced today (Wednesday, September 16, 2026) that he has completed his final medical tests and is allowed to resume his career after a terrible beating Justin Gaethje at UFC Freedom 250 in June 2026.
But buried in Topuria’s fiery return announcement was the absolutely insane suggestion that Gaethje may have loaded his gloves or otherwise messed up before handing “El Matador” the first loss of his pro career.
“Last medical tests done. I’m back,” Topuria wrote on Twitter. “To all the clowns that have been talking crap and counting me out this whole time, here I am. Now let’s see who has the balls. Thanks everyone for your support. Next time I’ll make sure they don’t put Justin’s gloves on so he doesn’t put anything weird on them. See you soon.”
“By the way, Justin, you. And Ali, you too.”
The theory went that Gaethje had something illegal inside his gloves — or “bricks,” as “The Highlight” jokingly described it — as he inflicted extraordinary damage on Topuria. Gaethje and longtime head coach Trevor Wittman already laughed off the baseless accusations during the performance The Joe Rogan Experience.
“What a compliment,” Gaethje said. “People saying I’m juicy, what a compliment. People saying I have blocks in my gloves, what a compliment.”
There has been no credible evidence that Gaethje tampered with his gloves, loaded his hands, or did anything illegal before the fight. No commission official or UFC representative has expressed concern about Gaethje’s equipment.
Gaethje just beat the hell out of Topuria.
After surviving a dangerous second round, Gaethje took control and battered the previously undefeated champion until Topuria’s elbow stopped the fight before the fifth round. Topuria suffered two orbital fractures and severe facial damage and was was immediately taken to a local hospital.
Three months later, the apologies have arrived.
Topuria did not say when he plans to compete again or if the UFC will grant him an immediate rematch. UFC CEO Dana White recently confirmed that Topuria is ready to come back and expressed interest in either another Gaethje fight or the long-awaited grudge match Paddy Pimblett.
Whenever Topuria returns, he can focus on correcting the tactical mistakes that cost him the title instead of checking Gaethje’s gloves for imaginary foreign objects.