Ilia Topuria has spoken for the first time since June, and he addressed it to his son.
Topuria posted a short video essay framed as a message to Hugo, his first public comment since the immediate aftermath of his loss to Justin Gaethje at UFC Freedom 250 on the South Lawn of the White House.
Hugo, I’ve been thinking about you these past two days. About what you felt when you saw me go down. I know it hurt you, and as your dad, I would’ve done anything to spare you from that moment. But I’m also glad we went through it together. Because that day made both of us stronger.
He built the rest around losing.
I want you to always remember one thing, you won’t always win in life, and that’s OK, because losing isn’t what matters. What matters is how you lose, who you choose to be when everything goes dark. When you have to choose between staying on the ground or getting back up.
Character doesn’t show up when everything’s going your way. It shows up when life throws its hardest day at you, and you know what I found? After going through that hell, I’m stronger than I was before, because a champion isn’t someone who never falls. It’s someone who always finds a reason to get back up.
Topuria went in 17-0. He had won the featherweight title from Alexander Volkanovski, defended it against Max Holloway, then moved up and knocked out Charles Oliveira for the vacant lightweight belt at UFC 317. Gaethje held the interim title going in, so the fight unified the division.
Gaethje took it in the fourth. Topuria’s corner stopped the fight before the fifth round after the doctor had already looked at the damage to his eye between rounds. Topuria suffered extensive facial injuries but did not need surgery, and he has no timetable to return.
That’s all I want for you. Not that you always win, but that you’re never afraid to lose. That no defeat ever gets to tell you who you are. Only you get to decide that, and no matter what happens, always remember this: Character is the one victory no one can ever take away from you.
Gaethje has options for his first defense. Arman Tsarukyan, Mauricio Ruffy and Max Holloway are all in the mix, with a Topuria rematch depending on when he is ready.
