Joe Rogan remains confident that Ilia Topuria will bounce back despite losing his lightweight title to Justin Gaethje.
Topuria suffered the first defeat of his professional career when Gaethje stopped him via doctor’s stoppage in the fourth round at UFC Freedom 250 at the White House.
Rogan sees loss as a valuable lesson
While some have questioned whether Topuria can return to his previous form, Rogan believes the setback could make him an even better fighter. On his latest JRE Podcast with Taylor Sheridant: he gave his clear take:
“I’m a giant Ilia Topuria fan.”
“I think he’ll be back better than ever.”
“Sometimes, a loss is one of the most important things a fighter could ever have because they realize you can be beat. You need to know that you’re a human.”
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Gaethje’s upset victory impressed Rogan
Rogan also admitted he was surprised Gaethje entered the fight as a heavy betting underdog before pulling off the upset.
“For him to pull that off the way he did at the White House was nuts.”
“Some books had him a 6-1 underdog, and Ilia Topuria is so f*cking good, and he had him in sick trouble in that second round.”
“The second round was brutal. Ilia was just destroying his liver, but even in the second round, Justin still bloodied Ilia up.”