Joe Rogan cautions Ilia Topuria against ‘mistake’ former rival made in UFC comeback

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By Curtis Calhoun

September 8, 2026

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Credit: Cooper Neill/Zuffa LLC

UFC analyst Joe Rogan warned Ilia Topuria against making a critical ‘mistake’ in his planned Octagon comeback.

Former UFC lightweight champion Ilia Topuria hasn’t fought since a shocking loss to Justin Gaethje at UFC Freedom 250 earlier this year. After suffering the first defeat of his career, Topuria is taking an indefinite hiatus from fighting, but could potentially return to the cage by year’s end.

Topuria looked unrecognizable as he departed the White House lawn in June. His face was busted up by Gaethje’s relentless barrage, and Topuria suffered multiple broken orbital bones in the fight.

Some question whether or not Topuria can return to elite form following the Gaethje fight. While Joe Rogan remains confident in Topuria’s future, he believes the former champ needs to avoid a similar fate to his former rival.

Joe Rogan warns Ilia Topuria could face similar fate to Alexander Volkanovski after KO

In a recent episode of The Joe Rogan Experience, Rogan was asked about Topuria’s future and cautioned the former champion against a hasty comeback.

“It’s going to be interesting to see how he rebounds because that was a lot of damage,” Rogan said of Topuria.

“Two fractured orbitals, they had to stop the fight in between rounds, and he took big punches from a guy who’s got f—— rocks in his hands. Justin can crack… He’s had a couple of months, but he probably needs like six months before he’s even sparring again.

“A lot of fighters, a lot of great fighters have made a mistake of coming back too soon,” Rogan continued on Topuria. “Volkanovski is one that I point to all the time, who’s arguably the greatest featherweight of all time… That’s a crazy thing to do. He took a full head kick, shin to the dome, gets KO’d, and then four months later he’s fighting the f—— scariest challenger that he’s ever had to face.” (h/t MMA Junkie)

Who should Ilia Topuria fight in his UFC return? Share your thoughts in the comments!

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