Ilia Topuria’s aura of invincibility and perfect record were both shattered at the hands of Justin Gaethje at UFC Freedom 250 nearly three months ago. The Spaniard took such a beating that his corner was forced to call it quits on the stool after the fourth round.
Now, Topuria has finally returned to the public eye and broken his silence with a nine-part essay on his website. In it, he revealed the physical damage he suffered in the fight, including two broken orbital bones, a shattered septum, and a broken foot. But according to the former double champion, the mental toll was even more excruciating.
Topuria admitted that he couldn’t even look at himself in the mirror the day after losing to Gaethje. His loss of confidence was also clear when he revealed that he can’t predict what will happen in his next fight, a huge contrast to the confidence fans had become accustomed to seeing from him, particularly when he celebrated his victories as if they were a foregone conclusion.
That is why Joe Rogan believes a rushed return for the former double champion could end badly. With talks of a rematch against Gaethje and a potential grudge match with Paddy Pimblett already swirling, the UFC commentator urged Topuria not to rush things and instead make sure he has fully recovered.
During segment #185 of the JRE MMA Show, Rogan said, “It’s going to be interesting to see how he rebounds because that was a lot of damage. Two fractured orbitals, they had to stop the fight in between rounds, and he took big punches from a guy who’s got rocks in his hands.”
He added, “Justin can crack. … He’s had a couple of months, but he probably needs like six months before he’s even sparring again.”
While Rogan praised Topuria for having a strong mentality, he believes the amount of damage he absorbed on June 14 means he needs to be extremely careful with his next move.
He added, “He’s a very mentally strong guy, and I think he will bounce back in that regard. It’s just there’s also the reality of how much damage, and only he knows how much damage he actually took in that fight, how that affects him, as well, because there’s only a few of those kind of fights that you could have in your career, and you’ve got to be very careful how you recover from those.”
🚨 Joe Rogan on Ilia Topuria: “You Gotta Be Very Careful How You Recover From Those Fights”
“Ilia’s a very mentally strong guy, and I think he will bounce back in that regard.
There are only a few of those kinds of fights that you can have in your career, and you gotta be very… pic.twitter.com/ve3HaUGPvn
— MMA Pros Pick (@MMA_PROS_PICK_) September 7, 2026
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Rogan pointed to one of Topuria’s former opponents, Alexander Volkanovski, as an example of what can happen when a fighter returns too quickly after suffering a brutal knockout.
Volkanovski stepped in on short notice to face Islam Makhachev at UFC 294 in October 2023. Just four months later, in February 2024, the Australian was back in the Octagon to defend his 145-pound title against Topuria.
The consequences were even worse for Volk, who suffered a second straight knockout loss and lost his featherweight title. His mental struggles in the aftermath have also been well documented. Rogan said, “A lot of fighters, a lot of great fighters have made a mistake of coming back too soon.”
He explained, “Volkanovski is one that I point to all the time, who’s arguably the greatest featherweight of all time. He is one of the most masterful fighters in the game. He took a short-notice fight with Islam (Makhachev) in the rematch and got head-kicked, and then I think it was only four months later that he was fighting Ilia, and that is crazy.”
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He added, “That’s a crazy thing to do. He took a full head kick, shin to the dome, gets KO’d, and then four months later he’s fighting the scariest challenger that he’s ever had to face.”
Topuria was considered virtually unstoppable when he walked onto the White House lawn to face Gaethje, but fans instead watched him absorb his biggest shots before firing back with damaging blows of his own that left “El Matador” badly hurt.
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With rematch talks against Gaethje now floating around, a second meeting would be a massive challenge for Topuria given what happened the first time. Still, the bigger question may be when the former double champion is actually ready to return. As for Gaethje, fans may have to wait a while. The lightweight star has already declared that he is done competing for the rest of 2026.
Kshitiz Kumar Singh is a UFC Writer at NY Fights with over three years of experience in sports journalism and content creation. Known for his sharp storytelling and passion for combat sports, he has written in-depth features on stars like Brock Lesnar, Randy Couture, and Ilia Topuria. Before joining NY Fights, Kshitiz worked as a UFC Editor at EssentiallySports while currently serving as a WWE Editor at FirstSportz. His admiration for legends like Georges St-Pierre continues to inspire his detailed and engaging MMA coverage. Whether he’s covering the Octagon or the squared circle, Kshitiz is committed to delivering accurate, high-quality content. Outside the world of sports, he’s a dedicated cinephile, often found practicing monologues from his favorite Al Pacino films, combining his love for cinema with storytelling.
