Jon Jones: Ilia Topuria can recover from UFC loss with honesty

Jon Jones believes Ilia Topuria has the right mindset to recover from his first career defeat so long as he stays honest with himself about what went wrong.

Topuria dropped his featherweight title and his unbeaten record when Justin Gaethje battered him over four rounds at UFC Freedom 250 last month, forcing his corner to wave off the unification bout. The Georgian had entered as a heavy favourite and predicted a first-round stoppage, but Gaethje handed him a brutal lesson instead.

Jones praises Topuria's accountability after Gaethje loss

Jones, whose only professional blemish is a disqualification, told Red Corner MMA that Topuria's reported humility in defeat sets him up for a successful return. "What I heard was that he's humble. That he's honest. That he realized that he just didn't perform well," Jones said, per Sherdog. "I think that's the number one step of getting back into the ring in a healthy way. It's the guys who make excuses, that's when it's hard to come back and win that rematch."

The heavyweight champion pointed to Topuria's faith, team, and work ethic as assets, but singled out self-awareness as the most important factor. "Honesty with yourself is the key to MMA," Jones added.

Topuria's pre-fight confidence now looks like a miscalculation. He updated his record on social media before the bout and celebrated a day early, rituals he may reconsider going forward. Gaethje claimed his first UFC title in his third attempt, while Topuria faces the task of rebuilding momentum in one of the sport's deepest divisions.

Reported via:

• Sherdog — Jon Jones explains how Ilia Topuria can bounce back after first defeat