Ilia Topuria may have lost his UFC lightweight title to Justin Gaethje at UFC’s White House event earlier this year, but “El Matador” appears to be keeping the same confidence he had before the fight.

It feels like it’s been an eternity since fight fans last saw Topuria compete inside of the Octagon, but it’s only been five months since the former UFC champion got a reality check by Gaethje on the White House lawn. Not only was it the first loss of Topuria’s MMA career, but it happened on the biggest stage possible. That’s not something that every fighter can recover from.

Luckily for Topuria, his resolve is much stronger than some thought. The super-talented lightweight fighter was served a huge slice of humble pie in front the of millions, but his confidence doesn’t appear to be wavering. In fact, Topuria refuses to believe that he can lose and made that clear in an exclusive interview earlier this week.

Check it out below and let us know if you think Topuria is ready for his early-2027 UFC return!

”I’ve been in the worst situation a fighter can possibly be in. I’ve experienced the worst day of my profession. What’s worse than that? Dying.

“But one thing is clear: you either win or you lose. And I lost. I wake up in the morning and look at myself in the mirror, and I’m like: no, no, no, no, this isn’t me.”