Topuria calls for Gaethje rematch after losing lightweight title at UFC White House

Ilia Topuria has vowed to return and demand a rematch with Justin Gaethje after suffering the first loss of his career, a fourth-round TKO defeat at the UFC White House on Sunday night that ended his reign as lightweight champion.

Gaethje stopped the fight when Topuria’s corner waved off the contest, handing “El Matador” a first professional defeat after nine consecutive UFC victories. The Georgian-Spaniard had entered the bout as one of the promotion’s most feared finishers, having knocked out Alexander Volkanovski, Max Holloway and Charles Oliveira in his previous three outings to claim both featherweight and lightweight gold.

In a statement posted to Instagram, Topuria was candid about the damage he absorbed. “Justin, congratulations. You said you’d leave your mark on my face… and you did,” he wrote. “You took the sight from my right eye in the first round, and by the end of the second, from my left too.”

Despite the severity of the defeat, Topuria was unequivocal in refusing to make excuses. “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.”

The loss reshapes what had appeared to be a straightforward path toward a third divisional title. A win over Gaethje had been widely expected to set up a move to welterweight and a potential showdown with Islam Makhachev. That trajectory is now on hold, with Topuria instead setting his sights firmly on reclaiming the lightweight belt.

“I’ll heal. I’ll rest. And I’ll return stronger, wiser, and far more dangerous,” he wrote. “And trust me… this story between us is far from over. We will have our rematch.”

Gaethje, one of the sport’s most durable and respected veterans, delivered one of the defining performances of his career in dethroning a fighter many had considered close to unbeatable.