Din Thomas: Ilia Topuria's 'real career just started' with title loss

UFC analyst Din Thomas finds the career of Ilia Topuria to be even more captivating now that he’s no longer an undefeated UFC champion.

Topuria (17-1 MMA, 9-1 UFC) saw one of the great octagon runs in history come to an end Sunday at UFC Freedom 250 when he lost the lightweight title to Justin Gaethje by four-round TKO via corner stoppage. It was a Fight of the Year candidate that entertained the masses, but was also a far cry from the contest Topuria claimed it would be.

“El Matador” confidently stated he would dispatch of Gaethje inside the opening round on the White House South Lawn. Reality was far more cruel, however, and he ended up on the wrong end up a significant upset.

“It’s the one that he needed,” Thomas told MMA Junkie. “He has to do some soul-searching, because the same mentality that needed to be so great – he needs that now. To feel like you’re invincible and feel that you’re so great. That happens when you feel that and you trust in yourself and are drinking wine the night before the fight. Now you have to go back and question yourself, and that’s where the soul-searching begins.

“Now you start to have doubt. Do you trust yourself anymore and have these same beliefs? Are you as great as you thought you were? You have to go and have that same level of confidence knowing that it didn’t work against a guy like Justin Gaethje, where you were a 6-1 favorite. That’s a lot of soul searching. I think Ilia can do it.”

So far, Topuria has been nothing short of admirable in defeat. His first public reaction started by congratulating Gaethje and accepting the outcome without any excuses, which Thomas sees as an encouraging sign about Topuria’s ability to rebound from this adversity.

“I like it – there’s no excuse for him. There’s no controversy surrounding his loss,” Thomas said. “It reminds of when Conor (McGregor) lost. That to me is a sign of true greatness. You just come out and you own it. It’s not like he fought a bad fight. He was moments away from winning that fight – early. Just like we all thought it was going to be. It was playing out like we thought it would. Other than the fact defensively he was more irresponsible than I anticipated.

“He fought a great fight, he showed his toughness, and I think he’s going to be better for this. This is the type of fight that he needed to really step his feet into what everyone else in MMA has to experience. … The fact that Ilia finally got to feel that, he’s going to be better from it. And I’m looking forward to seeing his next fight because of this loss. How he bounces back. He could either be better for it, or a lot worse. But my opinion is he grows from this and now he knows what it feels like to dig deep and be a dog, and it still not work out.”

The rise of Topuria was a compelling story to follow. His run of knockouts against Alexander Volkanovski, Max Holloway, and Charles Oliveira prior to being unseated by Gaethje will stand the test of time. And he has the runway in his career to do much more.

At just 29, it’s possible Topuria is even still a few years out from his fighting prime. His best days could potentially be ahead, but it’s a crossroads moment, and Thomas is eager to see what unfolds after the next turn.

“That’s what we’re going to find out about Ilia,” Thomas said. “I think his real career just started Sunday night.”

To hear more from Thomas, check out his complete appearance on “The Bohnfire” podcast with MMA Junkie senior reporter Mike Bohn.