“El Matador” is healing.
That changed today (Tues., June 30, 2026), when Georgian reporter Giorgi Kokiashvili shared a picture of Topuria out and about while taking a photo with a young fan.
All things considered, Topuria appears to be healing well, which lines up with what his trainer recently said about his recovery.
However, if Topuria does not return in December, he is expected to be back sometime in 2027.
Topuria (17-1) had his pristine undefeated record snapped at UFC Freedom 250 and lost his Lightweight title in the process. He is now 9-1 inside the Octagon.
Prior to the violence loss, Topuria was on one of the best runs the sport has ever seen, knocking out Alexander Volkanovski (watch it), Max Holloway (watch highlights) and Charles Oliveira (watch highlights) consecutively, which earned him double-champion status and made him one of the biggest stars in the sport.
That will likely change in the coming weeks.
For now, though, the important thing is simple: Topuria is healing, he is back in public, and the comeback clock has officially started.
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