Islam Makhachev doesn’t kick a man when he’s down. He stood up for Ilya Topuria.

Islam Makhachev has no intention of rubbing it in for Ilya Topuria after his first professional loss. The Dagestani, who has been taunted by “El Matador” on numerous occasions in the past, instead of rubbing it in, wishes the former champion a return to the top.

Until recently, Topuria was riding a wave of tremendous success and seemed well on his way to making UFC history. “El Matador” had quickly won championship belts in two weight classes, and ahead of UFC Freedom 250, he was confident that his first lightweight title defense would end in another victory.

However, Justin Gaethje stood in his way. Topuria had his moments and even managed to send “The Highlight” to the canvas with a body shot, but with each passing minute, he felt the effects of the American’s punches more and more clearly.

“El Matador” kept pressing forward, which ultimately proved to be his undoing. According to reports, he suffered a fractured orbital bone and did not return to the ring after the fourth round. Thus, Gaethje handed Topuria his first professional MMA loss.

Makhachev came to Topuria’s defense. “Maybe he’ll become champion again.”

Given Topuria’s history of taunting Makhachev in the media, one might have expected the Dagestani to seize the opportunity to respond to the recent champion. However, nothing of the sort happened.

In a conversation with UFC Hall of Famer Demetrious Johnson, Makhachev praised “El Matador’s” skills and noted that he still sees a chance for him to return to the very top.

“He’s still young, brother; he has time. I hope he comes back, ” said Makhachev. “ Ilya is a good fighter. He has good striking and good wrestling. If he stays focused, he might become champion again. But this fight has changed his life. We just don’t know in what direction.”

Topuria has already been appearing in public without sunglasses, and it looks like his face is healing quickly. The bigger question, however, is whether his brutal bout with Gaethje will leave a mark on his approach to future fights.

Boxing has been “El Matador’s” greatest weapon so far. It is thanks to his fists that Topuria has scored spectacular knockouts against, among others, Alexander Volkanovski, Max Holloway, and Charles Oliveira. The loss to “The Highlight” will therefore be the first serious test of how the former champion will handle the challenge of rebuilding after such a devastating setback.