Ilia Topuria is officially back — and apparently armed with one of the wildest excuses imaginable.
The former two-division Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) champion announced today (Weds., Sept. 16, 2026) that he has completed his final medical tests and is cleared to resume his career following the horrific beating he suffered against Justin Gaethje at UFC Freedom 250 in June 2026.
However, buried inside Topuria’s fiery return announcement was an absolutely insane suggestion that Gaethje may have
loaded or otherwise tampered with his gloves before handing “El Matador” the first loss of his professional career.
“Final medical tests done. I’m back,” Topuria wrote on Twitter. “To all the clowns who’ve been talking shit and counting me out this whole time, here I am. Now let’s see who’s got the balls. Thanks to everyone for the support. Next time I’ll make sure they check Justin’s gloves so he doesn’t put anything weird on them. See you soon.”
“By the way Justin, f—k you. And Ali, f—k you too.”
Yes, Topuria genuinely appears to be buying into the ridiculous conspiracy theory pushed by a small portion of his fanbase following UFC White House.
The theory claimed Gaethje had something illegal inside his gloves — or “bricks,” as “The Highlight” jokingly described it — because of the extraordinary damage he inflicted upon Topuria. Gaethje and longtime head coach Trevor Wittman already laughed off the baseless accusations during an appearance on The Joe Rogan Experience.
“What a compliment,” Gaethje said. “People saying I’m juiced, what a compliment. People saying I’ve got bricks in my f—king gloves, what a compliment.”
There has been zero credible evidence that Gaethje tampered with his gloves, loaded his hand wraps or did anything illegal before the fight. No commission official or UFC representative has raised concerns about Gaethje’s equipment.
Gaethje simply beat the hell out of Topuria.
After surviving a dangerous second round, Gaethje took control and battered the previously undefeated champion until Topuria’s corner stopped the fight before the fifth round. Topuria suffered two broken orbital bones and severe facial damage and was immediately transported to a local hospital.
The glove accusation is also a dramatic departure from Topuria’s original reaction. In his first statement after the loss, Topuria insisted there were “no excuses,” acknowledged Gaethje’s performance, and admitted his rival had delivered on his promise to leave a mark on his face.
Three months later, the excuses have arrived.
Topuria did not reveal when he plans to compete again or whether UFC will grant him an immediate rematch. UFC CEO Dana White recently confirmed that Topuria is ready to return and expressed interest in either a second Gaethje fight or the long-awaited grudge match against Paddy Pimblett.
Whenever Topuria returns, he may want to focus on correcting the tactical mistakes that cost him the title instead of checking Gaethje’s gloves for imaginary foreign objects.
