UFC Freedom 250 lived up to the immense hype, as fans witnessed a finish in every fight across the seven-bout card. However, the action-packed event came at a steep cost, with several fighters leaving the cage nursing significant injuries. That was especially true in the main event, where Ilia Topuria absorbed a brutal beating at the hands of Justin Gaethje. The damage was so severe that Topuria was forced to retire on his stool at the conclusion of the fourth round, unable to continue and finish the fight.
Following the event, Topuria was immediately transported to a hospital. UFC CEO Dana White confirmed as much during the post-fight press conference, while Marca later reported that the Spaniard sustained non-displaced fractures in both orbital bones. According to the report, the damage to Topuria’s right eye was more significant than that of his left, although he is expected to avoid surgery. Unsurprisingly, there is currently no timetable for his return to competition.
The extent of the punishment Topuria’s body endured was further reflected in the medical suspensions issued after the event. California State Athletic Commission executive director Andy Foster released the official medical suspensions from the UFC White House card after serving as one of the event regulators on behalf of the Association of Boxing Commissions and Combative Sports.
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As expected, Topuria received a 180-day medical suspension following the memorable war. The suspension can be reduced if he is cleared by an oral and maxillofacial surgeon. However, he was also handed a mandatory 60-day suspension with no exceptions. Despite the severity of the injuries, there has been an encouraging update from the Topuria camp.
Recently, Topuria’s physical trainer, Jesus Gallo, revealed in an interview with SerEbro EnlosDeportes that the former champion has made an incredible recovery. According to Gallo, Topuria’s face is no longer swollen or covered in bruises, and he does not look like someone who endured four grueling rounds of punishment inside the Octagon.
He revealed, “Day by day, he already looks like an entirely different person. Obviously, you still feel discomfort, but it doesn’t seem like he’s had any fights, really. All the swelling in his face has gone down. All the bruising he had has gone down. To the naked eye, you can see a person who has already recovered a lot, and it has been a week and two days.”
Owing to this remarkable recovery, Topuria’s team remains hopeful that the Spaniard could make his return before the end of 2026. Gallo believes the former champion should make significant progress over the next two to three months. He added, “What the doctor told us was that within 6 to 8 weeks, it should heal properly, especially because there was no orbital bone displacement, so it will heal on its own.”
He concluded with, “After that, for him to start wrestling again, to start doing things again, it’ll take a little while for it to really solidify there. I think we’re talking about at least 2 to 3 months, easily. If you saw us in a rematch or in a fight, it would be toward the end of the year, in December. Who knows? We’ll see.”
🚨 Ilia Topuria’s physical trainer, Jesus Gallo, provided an update on Ilia’s recovery
He says we could see Ilia return as early as December 2026 👀
“Day by day he already looks like a completely different person… He looks like he wasn’t even in a fight, honestly. All the… pic.twitter.com/qHQ90a9pNL
— Championship Rounds (@ChampRDS) June 25, 2026
While Gallo’s update suggests that a return later this year remains a possibility, such a timeline may prove overly optimistic given the circumstances. Not only did Topuria suffer the first defeat of his professional career, but he also endured extensive facial injuries and a physically grueling battle against Justin Gaethje. Any potential comeback would require both physical healing and mental recovery from such a setback.
Complicating matters further is the fact that Gaethje has already indicated he does not plan to compete again in 2026 after enduring back-to-back wars against Paddy Pimblett at UFC 324 and Topuria at UFC Freedom 250. With no immediate rematch available and little reason to rush back into competition, it may be in Topuria’s best interest to prioritize a full recovery and target a return in 2027 rather than risk coming back before he is completely healed.
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