Anthony Smith urges Topuria to fight again soon after Gaethje upset

Anthony Smith is urging Ilia Topuria to get back into competition as quickly as possible after the former lightweight champion suffered one of the biggest upsets in UFC history, losing to Justin Gaethje at UFC White House on Sunday.

Topuria (17-1) entered the main event as a massive favourite, having repeatedly predicted a first-round knockout and even hosting a pre-fight celebratory dinner. Instead, Gaethje (28-5) bloodied “El Matador” in the opening round, and although Topuria briefly rallied in the second, he appeared to exhaust himself chasing a finish. Gaethje poured on brutal punishment through the third and fourth rounds, and Topuria’s corner threw in the towel at the end of round four. Gaethje claimed the undisputed lightweight title on his third attempt.

Smith, a longtime UFC light heavyweight veteran, believes the worst thing Topuria can do now is let the loss fester. Speaking on The Ariel Helwani Show, he argued that inactivity will compound the psychological damage — particularly given how loudly Topuria had talked up a dominant victory beforehand.

“I’d like to see him at the end of the year,” Smith said. “You don’t want to sit on that too long because it’ll mess with you. It’ll mess with how you feel about yourself, especially when you’re the level of superstar that he is. He’s gonna be eating on that for a while, especially with the stuff that he says. I mean, he had a celebratory dinner beforehand, and people were practically holding a funeral for Gaethje before the fight. You’re going to have to eat that for a minute. The quicker you can get back, be healthy, and try to get that monkey off your back, the better.”

Gaethje’s victory stands as one of the most dramatic title changes in recent UFC memory. The previously undefeated Topuria had moved up from featherweight to lightweight and was widely expected to make a statement. Instead, it was Gaethje — written off by many before the opening bell — who delivered the defining performance of his career to reclaim relevance and the championship in one night.

Whether Topuria heeds Smith’s advice and returns before 2025 is out remains to be seen, but the former champion will need to rebuild both his record and his reputation after a defeat that came with considerable pre-fight fanfare attached.