Ilia Topuria reappears: "In life, you don't always win. And that's okay"
"The Matador" returns to the spotlight nearly three months after his defeat at UFC White House with an emotional and intimate letter to his son Hugo
On June 14, in the South Lawn of the White House, Ilia Topuria lost to Justin Gaethje. He gave up the UFC lightweight championship crown and suffered his first defeat as a professional fighter. Just a few meters from the octagon, seated among family, team members, and friends, was his son Hugo, five years old. It is to him that the ‘Matador’ writes this letter, his first words almost three months after that night in Washington D.C.
This is the content of that letter:
I've been thinking about you for a few days. About what you felt when you saw me fall. I know you suffered and, as a father, I would give anything to have spared you that moment. But I'm also glad we lived through it together. Because that day made us both stronger.
I know you suffered and, as a father, I would give anything to have spared you that moment
I want you to always remember one thing: in life, you don’t always win. And that’s okay. Because losing is not what matters. What matters is how you lose. Who you choose to be when everything turns dark. When you have to choose between staying on the ground... or getting back up again.
I believe God wanted me to live through that moment to teach me a lesson that no victory could teach me. That character does not appear when everything is going well; it is revealed when life places before you its most difficult day.
I believe God wanted me to live through that moment to teach me a lesson that no victory could teach me
And you know what I discovered? That after visiting that hell, I am stronger than before. Because a champion is not the one who never falls. He is the one who always finds a reason to get back up.
A champion is not the one who never falls. He is the one who always finds a reason to get back up.
That is the only thing I wish for you. Not that you always win, but that you never be afraid of losing. That no defeat has the power to tell you who you are. Because only you decide that. And, no matter what happens, always remember this: character is the only victory no one can take away from you.”
It is the first public appearance of a Topuria who has devoted the summer to healing body and mind. Even so, despite the rumors pointing to December as a return date, it is still too early to think about a return to the cage.
