Rogan Warns Topuria Against Volkanovski's Comeback Mistake

Joe Rogan cautioned Ilia Topuria against rushing his return to the Octagon after the former lightweight champion suffered two fractured orbitals in his first career loss to Justin Gaethje at UFC Freedom 250.

Topuria has not fought since June and is weighing a comeback by year's end, but Rogan believes the damage taken from Gaethje's standup requires more recovery time. "It's going to be interesting to see how he rebounds because that was a lot of damage," Rogan said on a recent episode of The Joe Rogan Experience, as reported by MMA Junkie. "Two fractured orbitals, they had to stop the fight in between rounds, and he took big punches from a guy who's got rocks in his hands."

Rogan pointed to Alexander Volkanovski's hurried turnaround after getting knocked out by Islam Makhachev as the blueprint Topuria should avoid. "Volkanovski is one that I point to all the time, who's arguably the greatest featherweight of all time," the longtime UFC analyst said. "He took a full head kick, shin to the dome, gets KO'd, and then four months later he's fighting the scariest challenger that he's ever had to face."

The commentator suggested Topuria needs at least six months before resuming sparring. Gaethje's power was on full display at UFC Freedom, with referee Marc Goddard waving off the bout between rounds after ringside physicians examined Topuria's swollen face.

Topuria looked markedly different when he departed the White House lawn following the fight. Questions about whether he can return to championship form now linger over the 28-year-old's career. No timeline has been set for his Octagon return.