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

Jon
Jones advises Ilia
Topuria to be honest with himself in the aftermath of his first
professional loss.

Topuria (17-1) was a massive favorite going into his title
unification bout against Justin
Gaethje at
UFC Freedom 250 last month. However, the latter handed “El
Matador” a brutal beating, forcing his corner to stop the fight
after the fourth round. While Gaethje finally captured gold in his
third crack at the crown, Topuria suffered his first career
loss.

Ilia Topuria’s first UFC loss and Jon Jones’ comeback
advice

Jones, who is essentially undefeated with his lone career loss
being a controversial disqualification, believes Topuria can come
back stronger from the defeat. “Bones” claims to have heard that
the former two-division champion is humble and honest in defeat,
and believes acknowledging one’s own mistakes instead of making
excuses is the key to returning from a loss.

Jones told Red Corner MMA: “Ilia’s gonna be in a good position. He
has faith. He has a strong team. And that’s a lot of what it takes.
He has a work ethic. I think he’s honest with himself… What I heard
was that he’s humble. That he’s honest. That he realized that he
just didn’t perform well. 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…
Honesty with yourself is the key to MMA.”

What adds to the weight of Topuria’s loss are his pre-fight antics.
Topuria had repeatedly predicted a first-round knockout win,
changed his record on his social media bio, and even celebrated a
day before the fight, traditions he might opt against going
forward.