DANA WHITE has provided an update on Ilia Topuria following his brutal UFC White House loss to Justin Gaethje.
Topuria’s reign as lightweight king came to a brutal and bloody end at the hands of the fan favourite in their Washington war last week.
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Ilia Topuria headlined the UFC’s historic White House card earlier this month Credit: ZUFFA
‘El Matador’ suffered a brutal fourth-round TKO defeat to his fellow fan favourite Credit: ZUFFA
The Georgian-born Spaniard suffered a fourth-round TKO after his brother, Aleksandre, waved off the fight before the fifth.
Topuria was left horrifically DISFIGURED by Gaethje and rushed to the hospital to undergo additional medical checks.
He was discharged last Monday after being given the all-clear by doctors.
And according to White, he’s firmly on the road to recovery.
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When quizzed about ‘El Matador’ by TMZ, White said: “He’s doing good.
“Tough kid, obviously. After the first round, his eye was bothering him. You could see he got hit.
“At one point, he started covering like this and was kind of messing it. And then, Justin just kept busting him up the next couple of rounds.
“Then we had that little moment there with the three doctors and the ref.
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Ilia Topuria was left disfigured after the Washington war Credit: GETTY
He was rushed to the hospital after being carried out of the arena Credit: GETTY
“Ilia really wanted to continue, and I actually think he probably won that round, too.
“His corner, I think, stopped the fight. Props to them.”
According to Marca, doctors discovered that Gaethje inflicted “non-displaced fractures” in both of Topuria’s orbital bones.
But thankfully for the former two-division champion, he won’t have to go under the knife to repair the damage.
The previously undefeated Topuria, 29, offered no excuses for his first professional loss, writing on Instagram: “Justin, congratulations.
“You said you’d leave your mark on my face… and you did.
Dana White has issued an update on Ilia Topuria’s condition Credit: ALAMY
“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.”
