SerpApi.Org
Ilia Topuria had reason to celebrate on Sunday, even if the occasion had nothing to do with mixed martial arts.
Spain defeated Argentina in the 2026 FIFA World Cup Final at MetLife Stadium in New Jersey. Topuria, who has built a close friendship with Spanish football legend Sergio Ramos and become one of the biggest sports stars in Spain despite being Georgian-born, was in the streets celebrating with his young son and thousands of fans.
The footage showed him wearing sunglasses at night — a detail that carried its own significance given that he suffered two broken orbital bones in his fifth-round stoppage loss to Justin Gaethje at UFC Freedom 250 last month. The eyewear was almost certainly precautionary rather than cosmetic.
The World Cup win provided a genuine emotional release for someone still processing the first defeat of his professional career. Topuria had built an identity around invincibility — unbeaten, double champion, the fighter who had dispatched Alexander Volkanovski, Max Holloway, and Charles Oliveira on his way to undisputed status. The Gaethje loss was not just a defeat; it was the end of a narrative that had made him one of the sport's most commercially significant figures globally.
What comes next competitively remains unresolved. A rematch with Gaethje is the most obvious path, but the champion has indicated he would prefer Arman Tsarukyan next. Paddy Pimblett has been vocal about wanting the fight and has claimed Topuria is too small for lightweight — a prediction Topuria is unlikely to let stand publicly for long. A return later this year is possible depending on how the orbital bones heal and what the UFC's plans for the lightweight division look like after Gaethje's next defence is decided.
