At the end of the night, as Justin Gaethje was celebrating his thunderous lightweight title win with a backflip from the top of the Octagon, a mangled and busted-up Ilia Topuria was being carried out by his brother, Aleksandre Topuria, and the UFC medical staff. From there, an ambulance drove him straight to a DC hospital. In the aftermath of their grueling showdown at UFC Freedom 250, it was revealed that the former champion had likely suffered fractured orbital bones, among several other injuries.

Now, a close friend of the former champ has confirmed the true extent of his injuries. Spanish TV host Pablo Motos, after a recent visit with the UFC star, has revealed that despite his injuries, ‘El Matador’s competitive spirit remains intact and he is focused on a rematch with Justin Gaethje.

“This morning I was with Ilia; he has fractures in his orbital bones, in his nose,” Motos said on his El Hormiguero show as per Championship Rounds. “This morning they were treating his wounds, and he still couldn’t open his eyes properly. Then we were talking about something we’re gonna do this summer, making jokes, and then he said a phrase I loved.

“He looks at me with his eyes closed and says, ‘Champions, when we fall, we fall hard.’ They’re already looking toward the future. He was telling me, ‘I’d love to do the rematch in Spain with Gaethje.’”

While it’s concerning to hear that despite it being almost three days since the fight, Topuria still hasn’t been able to open his eyes completely. However, even with the pain caused by the orbital bone fracture and the broken nose, the 29-year-old is thinking ahead to a rematch in Spain.

When it comes to a UFC event in Spain, Topuria has in the past pushed for an event in his home country. He has been very vocal about his desire to fight at Santiago Bernabéu Stadium, the home ground of popular soccer club Real Madrid, a team Topuria is a follower of. In fact, Dana White also floated the idea of holding an event in Spain during the UFC 308 post-fight presser.

However, the 56-year-old later explained that a major obstacle to staging an event there is venue availability. White explained that many arenas in Spain remain booked throughout the year for other sporting events. Because of that, he revealed the promotion has faced difficulties in holding an event. Still, if the UFC ultimately decides to hold an event in Spain, it could be a fairytale moment for Ilia Topuria, as he would get the chance to avenge his loss in front of his home crowd after losing the belt to Gaethje at UFC Freedom 250 in front of Gaethje’s home crowd.

Though it’s a great idea, the Arizona native might not be too thrilled if the UFC moves forward with that plan. Right after winning the belt, Gaethje shut down the possibility of an immediate rematch against Ilia Topuria, citing that he made the Spaniard quit on the stool. In that case, the former lightweight champion might need to win a couple of fights before getting a fight with Justin Gaethje once again. Or, the UFC could offer them a staggering amount of money to make the rematch happen.

Now, either of these scenarios would only unfold if Ilia Topuria successfully recovers from his existing injuries and resumes training. However, with the former champion currently facing an 180-day medical suspension as a result of his injuries, his overall return timeline could stretch beyond a year once a full training camp is taken into account. For that, the promotion could instead look toward a Gaethje vs. Arman Tsarukyan fight.

But among all the possibilities, a former UFC fighter advised Ilia Topuria to take a completely different route.

UFC veteran urges Ilia Topuria to return to featherweight following loss to Justin Gaethje

Last year, Ilia Topuria seemingly shut down all the talk about whether he was undersized for the 155 lbs division after knocking out Charles Oliveira in devastating fashion at UFC 317. However, those doubts resurfaced after Topuria’s power failed to produce the same magic against Justin Gaethje in the UFC Freedom 250 main event.

For that reason, former UFC veteran Matt Brown believes Ilia Topuria should consider moving back to featherweight, as he feels the Spaniard is not appropriately sized to face bigger fighters like Gaethje at 155 lbs.

“If I’m Ilia and I’m in his camp, you go back down [to featherweight],” Brown told MMA Fighting. “He was clearly undersized, and Justin’s not some gigantic lightweight. Ilia needs to be fighting guys his size. Some of those shots he hit Justin Gaethje with would have knocked out probably every f—-ng [145-pounder] on the planet. But Justin just hanging in there like the man that he is. If I’m Ilia, I go back.”

Indeed, Topuria has a comparatively smaller stature than many other lightweights. But him going back down to featherweight would be very difficult, as the weight cut would be grueling now that he has been at lightweight for so long. In fact, that’s the very reason Topuria moved to 155 lbs, as he felt drained at 145 lbs and couldn’t continue the weight-cutting process without putting his health at risk.

Ilia Topuria’s next move remains uncertain, but it’s more than clear that he will be staying at lightweight. So, it will be interesting to see what the Spaniard decides and what the promotion has in store for the former 155 lbs champion.