O'Malley predicts Topuria will return 'better than ever' after Gaethje's humbling knockout

Sean O’Malley is backing Ilia Topuria to recover from his first career defeat, even as he acknowledges that Justin Gaethje’s fourth-round stoppage at UFC White House on June 14 has fundamentally changed how opponents will view the Georgian fighter.

Topuria was unable to defend his lightweight title when Gaethje’s punches inflicted severe facial injuries that forced the champion and his corner to inform the referee he could not continue. The loss, widely regarded as one of the biggest upsets in recent UFC history, could keep Topuria sidelined for the rest of 2026.

“I’m sure it is going to be humbling,” O’Malley told One Night with Steiny. “I think Ilia is going to come back better than ever. He’s young still. He was going through some personal stuff, made it out the other side of it but it’s probably still lingering around. I think he’s going to come back. Justin f*cking humbled him, for sure.”

O’Malley’s coach Tim Welch offered a more cautious take, arguing that losing the mystique of invincibility carries a cost that is difficult to recover. “I also think, though, like he’s human now,” Welch said. “So anyone who fights him now, they know that’s in him, they know it’s a possibility. Before the losses, [their opponents] were almost scared in there. There’s this weird aura, this scary aura, like he’s going to f*ck everyone up. Now that got exposed a little bit, I think he’s not going to come back as just dominating.”

O’Malley himself also competed at UFC White House, stopping Aiemann Zahabi by second-round knockout to end the Canadian bantamweight’s seven-fight win streak. The victory puts O’Malley in contention to challenge Petr Yan and potentially become a two-time UFC champion.

Drawing on his own experience as an underdog, O’Malley compared Gaethje’s win to his own shocking knockout of Aljamain Sterling — who was 23-3 and had made three consecutive successful title defences — finishing him just 51 seconds into the second round. “Me beating Aljo is probably similar to Gaethje beating Ilia,” O’Malley said. “Actually, me beating Aljo is probably even more of an upset I’d say. I don’t know, I guess it depends, people’s different perspectives.”