Following the grueling showdown against Justin Gaethje in the main event of UFC Freedom 250, Ilia Topuria was left brutally battered. Gaethje’s strikes on Topuria’s face left the Georgian-Spaniard with several cuts and bruises that caused significant swelling across his face, forcing his eyes to shut. On top of that, he had also lost part of his vision by the fourth round. The promotion immediately sent Topuria to the hospital for medical evaluation. Later, a report from Marca revealed that he had suffered non-displaced fractures in both orbital bones, with the right eye sustaining considerably more damage. Fortunately, doctors reportedly determined that Topuria would not require surgery, offering a major sigh of relief.

Following this, the former champion’s physical trainer, Jesus Gallo, has provided another update on Topuria’s condition.

“Physically, from what I’ve seen day to day, he already looks like a completely different person,” Gallo told SerEbro EnlosDeportes YT. “Obviously, he still feels some discomfort and things like that, but it honestly looks like he wasn’t even in a fight. All the swelling in his face is gone, and every bruise he had has gone down. 

“Obviously, he still has some discomfort and sensitivity around his face, but at first glance, he looks like someone who’s already well recovered—and it hasn’t even been a week… well, a week and two days.”    

At first, Topuria’s facial cuts appeared severe enough to suggest he would need a lengthy recovery. However, it seems many of those wounds were not deep lacerations but rather smaller cuts and incisions caused by Justin Gaethje’s strikes, as evidenced by how quickly he recovered from the damage.

That said, while the former champion’s facial damage may not be as serious as it initially looked, his broken orbital bones will likely require more time to heal. And according to another report from Georgia Today, Ilia Topuria was successfully discharged from the hospital after doctors determined he wouldn’t need to undergo surgery. But orbital fractures can still take between 4 and 8 weeks, depending on the severity of the injury, to fully recover. Plus, he will also need regular medical checkups to monitor the healing process so that the commission can allow him to return once he has fully recovered.

For now, the 29-year-old cannot immediately return to combat training. Following the bout, he received a 180-day medical suspension, including 60 days of mandatory rest. In that case, Topuria will have to remain patient before beginning his road back to the Octagon, and his possible comeback timeline could stretch up to early 2027 at least.

Now, as the former lightweight champion continues his recovery, a return to competition seems inevitable sooner or later. However, after suffering the first loss of his professional career in such brutal fashion against Justin Gaethje, many believe Topuria may never be quite the same fighter again.

One of those people harboring that belief happens to be Topuria’s longtime rival, Paddy Pimblett.

Paddy Pimblett believes Ilia Topuria won’t be the same after losing to Justin Gaethje 

After Ilia Topuria suffered the first loss of his professional MMA career at UFC White House, Paddy Pimblett did not waste a second before launching an online tirade at his rival. The Liverpudlian mocked the former lightweight champion for quitting on the stool at the end of round 4 and failing to make it to the final round, unlike he did when he faced Justin Gaethje at UFC 324 in January. Following that, Pimblett went a step further and claimed that Topuria would never be the same mentally after the beating he absorbed from Gaethje at UFC White House.

“Ilia’s never had to come back from adversity,” Pimblett told Demetrious Johnson on YouTube. “Ilia’s only ever been the hammer. He’s never been the nail. After that fight with Justin that I had, I knew that I could come back stronger and better because I’ve done it before. I don’t think Ilia Topuria ever comes back the same.

“His whole mindset, his whole ego is like, ‘I’m undefeated. No one can beat me.’ Having celebrations the night before the fight. I just don’t think he’ll ever be the same. He’s never had to come back from something like that. I’ve had to face adversity before. So I’d happily be his first fight back.”

Well, Pimblett is not the only one predicting that Ilia Topuria’s confidence has taken a major hit. Justin Gaethje also opined similarly during his recent appearance on the Joe Rogan Experience, with the new champion even bringing up the case of Tony Ferguson and how ‘El Cucuy’ never looked the same after their fight at UFC 249, where the Arizona native knocked out the UFC veteran. But not everyone shares that view, as Rogan believes the 29-year-old could return stronger and wiser after experiencing his first defeat.

But only time will tell whether Ilia Topuria can make a successful comeback or whether this loss marks a turning point in his career. For now, he has at least taken the first positive steps in recovering from his injuries, which is the most important thing for his future plans.