For Ilia Topuria, his first professional MMA loss at UFC Freedom 250 in June couldn’t have been more devastating. The Georgian-Spaniard endured a brutal beating from Justin Gaethje for four rounds before his corner was forced to stop the fight to put an end to the punishment. While it was a difficult defeat for ‘El Matador’ to endure, he feels it may have been even tougher for his son, Hugo, who witnessed his father fall for the first time.

As a result, Topuria felt it was important to share some wisdom about adversity with his son in his first post since his loss to Gaethje.

“Hugo, I’ve been thinking about you these past two days,” Topuria said in his latest Instagram video. “About what you felt when you saw me go down. I know it hurt you. And as your dad, I would’ve done anything to spare you from that moment. But I’m also glad we went through it together because that day made us both stronger.

“I want you to always remember one thing: you won’t always win in life, and that’s okay because losing isn’t what matters. What matters is how you lose. Who you choose to be when everything goes dark. When you have to choose between staying on the ground and getting back up.”

Born in 2019 from Topuria’s previous relationship, the 29-year-old’s deep bond with son Hugo is already well documented. As such, it was only natural that he would want to share his thoughts with him, especially since Hugo has attended many of his fights and been an integral part of his father’s training camps. So it was all the more important for the Spaniard to teach his only son and eldest child about the inevitable nature of losses in one’s pursuit of greatness.

“I think God wanted me to go through that moment to teach me something no victory ever could,” Topuria added. “Character doesn’t show up when everything’s going your way. It shows up when life throws its hardest day at you, and you know what I found? After going through that hell, I’m stronger than I was before, because a champion isn’t someone who never falls. It’s someone who always finds a reason to get back up.

“That’s all I want for you. Not that you always win. But that you’re never afraid to lose. That no defeat ever gets to tell you who you are. Only you get to decide that, and no matter what happens, always remember this – Character is the one victory no one can ever take away from you.”

Though the former two-division champion has often been called out for boasting about his undefeated record on social media, it looks like he has embraced the positive side of his defeat.

A few years ago, Ilia Topuria told Daniel Cormier in an interview that he doesn’t fear losing because he believes a defeat could come at some point. We’re seeing that same mentality from the Georgian-Spaniard now as he shares this heartfelt message with his son. But he isn’t alone in this regard.

Steve Garcia, who also fought on the same White House card as Topuria, revealed that he spoke to his son after his knockout loss to Diego Lopes. The featherweight contender suffered a crushing defeat, but his son told him he was “proud of him,” and that’s all a father needs to hear after going through a loss.

Topuria is currently serving a mandatory 180-day suspension following his loss at UFC Freedom 250. As such, he could make his comeback sometime early next year. And if he does, a grudge match may already be awaiting him.

Paddy Pimblett wants to welcome Ilia Topuria for his comeback fight

Right after Ilia Topuria’s loss to Justin Gaethje, his bitter rival Paddy Pimblett began taking digs at him on social media. The Liverpool native has long loathed the Georgian-Spaniard’s immense self-belief, so he was more than happy to see it shattered for the first time. After watching Gaethje put on a masterclass, Pimblett believes he could do the same to a “fat” featherweight like Topuria.

“His whole mindset, his whole ego is like, ‘I’m undefeated. No one can beat me,” Pimblett told Demetrious Johnson in June. “Having celebrations the night before the fight. I just don’t think he’ll ever be the same. He’s never had to come back from something like that. I’ve had to face adversity before. So I’d happily be his first fight back.”

“And that’s something I’ve always said when people have said, ‘Ilia will knock you out.’ No. He’s a fat featherweight. He thinks he’s a lightweight. He’s not a lightweight, lad. I’m a lightweight. He’s a fat featherweight, and I would take his punches all day and laugh in his face, and punch him in the face, and he’d know about it.”

Topuria and Pimblett already share plenty of history dating back to their infamous hotel brawl in London in March 2022. Later, the pair had another heated faceoff at UFC 317 last year after Topuria defeated Charles Oliveira to become the 155-pound champion.

That history makes Pimblett an obvious candidate for a grudge match whenever Topuria is ready to return. The former lightweight champion’s immediate focus, however, appears to be recovering from his first professional loss and putting the lessons from it into practice. Whether that eventually leads him back into the Octagon against Pimblett remains to be seen.