Ilia Topuria thinks he was heading toward an early retirement before the UFC White House stoppage.

The former UFC lightweight and featherweight champion endured a violent end to his short reign at 155 pounds this past June.

In his first defense after knocking out Charles Oliveira to win the title, Topuria was beaten by Justin Gaethje, who left the Spaniard unrecognizable after four brutal rounds.

The fight ended when Aleksandre Topuria put a stop to the beating from the former champ’s corner, and Ilia is incredibly grateful that his sibling did.

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Ilia Topuria thinks his career would have been over if brother Aleksandre didn’t wave off the Justin Gaethje fight

In a written post a couple of months after his title loss at UFC Freedom 250, Topuria described seeing his face after absorbing 119 strikes from Gaethje in Washington, DC.

The damage was so bad that many fans, fighters, and analysts suggested ‘El Matador’ may never be the same again in his career.

But things could have been worse for Topuria, had his brother not told referee Marc Goddard to call off the UFC White House main event.

“If he wouldn’t have stopped me, the fight, probably I wouldn’t be able to fight again in my life,” Topuria said during a recent interview with Fight Disciples.

“Actually, I’m so grateful with my brother that he decided to stop me because I love what I’m doing. I had a bad experience but I still have a lot of things ahead of me.

“It would be very sad to me if I would hear from a doctor or from anyone that I wouldn’t be able to fight anymore,” he added.

Having had his career likely saved by his brother, Ilia can now look ahead to his return to action in 2027 after recovering from the facial injuries he sustained at the hands of ‘The Highlight’.

Topuria is targeting an April comeback and recently posted a poll on Instagram asking fans if they would rather see him fighting Gaethje again or Paddy Pimblett.