Ilia Topuria has been pictured without sunglasses for the first time since his heavy defeat at the hands of Justin Gaethje at UFC Freedom 250.

The main event of the night saw a huge upset with Topuria suffering the first defeat of his UFC career in brutal style as ‘El Matador’ was forced to retire after the fourth round.

Prior to that, Sean O’Malley secured a knockout of Canadian Aiemann Zahabi in their bantamweight bout, while Mauricio Ruffy knocked out Michael Chandler in a lightweight contest.

Diego Lopes knocked out Steve Garcia in a featherweight contest, while Josh Hokit saw off Derrick Lewis in the second round of a heavyweight fight.

In other fights, Ciryl Gane knocked out Alex Pereira to win the interim UFC heavyweight title. ‘Bon Gamin’ overcame the Brazilian after the referee stopped the action in the second round at 1:27, following a punishing left hand to the chin.

Justin Gaethje Stopped Ilia Topuria in Brutal Fashion

Amber Searls via Imagn Images

After securing the UFC lightweight title, Gaethje was greeted by USA President Donald Trump in the Octagon, who was hosting the event to celebrate his 80th birthday and the nation’s 250th anniversary.

The American had badly bloodied his opponent with a left-right combination in the third round, leading to an extended break after the round in which doctors seemed to suggest the fight should end. However, referee Marc Goddard appeared to overrule the doctor’s desire to stop the fight over concerns regarding Topuria’s vision.

Topuria’s corner then called for the fight to be stopped after the fourth round before he was taken to a local hospital shortly after, with reports suggesting he suffered non-displaced fractures in both orbital bones.

He later released a statement congratulating Gaethje following his first career defeat, saying: “Justin, congratulations. You said you’d leave your mark on my face… and you did. You took the sight from my right eye in the first round, and by the end of the second, from my left too.

Ilia Topuria Spotted Without Sunglasses

The Spanish-Georgian fighter has now been spotted for the first time since the fight without sunglasses and looks very well healed from the bout in June.

Despite the injuries, his trainer, Jesus Gallo, has already set out a possible return date for Topuria.

“What the doctor told us was that within six to eight weeks, [Topuria’s injuries] should heal properly, especially because there was no orbital bone displacement, so it will heal on its own,” Gallo said.

“I think we’re talking about at least two to three months, easily. If you saw us in a rematch or in a fight, it would be toward the end of the year, in December. Who knows? We’ll see.”

Justin Gaethje Rules Out Rematch

Amber Searls via Imagn Images

However, Gaethje has already shut down the idea of a rematch, saying he made Topuria ‘quit’ twice during their blockbuster on the South Lawn of the White House.

“I stopped him twice. What else do I have to f****** do? His next challenge can’t be me,” Gaethje said on the Joe Rogan Experience. “He needs to fight Paddy [Pimblett] or someone like that.”

Topuria and Pimblett share a longtime hatred for one another, stemming from an altercation at a London hotel in 2022, making the possible clash an easy sell and one that fans would be eager to see.

EA Sports FC has stuck to a familiar formula for years, with players jumping between Ultimate Teams, Clubs, Career Mode and Kick Off from the main menu. But that is about to change in EA FC 27, with the introduction of ‘FC The Grounds‘—an ambitious new social hub that promises to bring players together in a shared football world.

Inspired by the open-world neighborhoods seen in some of EA’s other games like NBA 2K, ‘FC The Grounds’ is expected to allow players to explore freely, make new friends, take part in mini-games and jump straight into matches without navigating traditional menus.

While EA has yet to fully detail every aspect of the mode, it has already become one of the most talked-about additions ahead of the game’s release, with fans eager to see how it will reshape the EA Sports FC experience.

What is ‘FC The Grounds’?

Ahead of its rumored release, ‘FC The Grounds’ has become one of the most-anticipated EA FC game modes since the introduction of ‘The Journey’ in FIFA 17. Based off of NBA 2K’s ‘The City’, the new game mode will allow players to freely roam an open world, customizing their character by buying new gear and apparel, whilst providing access to training grounds and mini-games to hone the users skills, before jumping straight into a street-football game.

In what will be a first for the beloved gaming franchise, the new game mode is expected to boast a social aspect to rival that of the ‘Clubs’ community, whilst providing a new avenue for veterans of the game to enjoy.

Although some members of the community have raised concerns that the new game mode could replace fan-favourites such as Ultimate Team or Career Mode, given that these are two of the most popular aspects of the game, it is highly unlikely that we will see these make way for ‘FC The Grounds’.

How ‘Open World’ Works

EA Sports

The ‘open world’ genre of gaming saw a major uptake after the release of Grand Theft Auto V in 2013, with the game allowing the player to freely explore a large environment, as opposed to progressing through a fixed series of levels and missions. This particular format allows users to explore at their own pace, whilst introducing side quests and mini-games that accompany the main storyline.

And, although ‘FC The Grounds’ is unlikely to contain the law-breaking drama of the Grand Theft Auto series, an open footballing world provides a social hub for players to interact with one another, whilst kitting out their avatar in the latest gear and competing with friends across various mini-games to establish bragging rights.

EA Sports FC 27 Release Date

Typically, the latest installment of the EA Sports FC franchise is released on the final Friday of September, with EA Sports FC 26 being released on the 26th September 2025. That means that, if EA do follow their previous trend, we can expect the game’s full release on Friday 25th September.