First photo of Ilia Topuria's face since Justin Gaethje loss emerges in surprise public appearance

Ilia Topuria has been spotted in public for the first time since his devastating loss to Justin Gaethje at the White House.

In perhaps the biggest upset in several years, UFC veteran Gaethje finally claimed the lightweight title on his third attempt with a win over a then-undefeated Topuria last month.

The pair headlined a historic UFC card taking place on the South Lawn of the White House in Washington D.C, with US President Donald Trump in attendance.

Heading into the fight, Topuria, who has knockout wins over former champions Alexander Volkanovski, Max Holloway and Charles Oliveira, was cementing his place in the conversation regarding the greatest fighter of all time.

But Gaethje reminded fans that you can never rule him out, as he weathered the storm and beat the Georgian-Spanish champion in a brutal but highly-entertaining striking match.

Gaethje was named the victor of the fight after Topuria couldn't make it off his stool for the final round due to the devastating injuries he had suffered to his face.

Although the exact extent of the former lightweight champion's injuries are not known, it's widely been reported he suffered two non-displaced fractures of both orbital bones, with severe bruising and cuts seen on his face post-fight.

Since then, Topuria has understandably taken some time away from the spotlight, despite several cheeky digs from rival Paddy Pimblett, but he has now made a rare public appearance, giving us a look at how his face has recovered.

The image, shared by a friend on their Instagram story, shows Topuria having a meal while wearing sunglasses before seemingly going to the cinema to watch the new Toy Story film.

Naturally, many fans have questioned why Topuria is still wearing sunglasses, suggesting that it could be to hide the true extent of his facial injuries.

It is highly unlikely that Topuria will have fully recovered from such devastating injuries in just over two weeks, but all things considered he actually looks like he is progressing well.

Ilia Topuria has appeared in public for the first time since the Gaethje loss. (Image: omarmontes Instagram)

When will Ilia Topuria return after Justin Gaethje loss?

Of course, the next question will be when we can expect to see the former champion step back into the octagon.

According to his team, Topuria could be ready to return as soon as December, with six to eight weeks needed for his injuries to heal fully.

“Day by day, he already looks like a completely different person,” Topuria's strength and conditioning coach, Jesus Gallo explained during an interview with Serebro En los Deportes.

“He looks like he wasn’t even in a fight, honestly.

“All the swelling in his face has gone down, every type of bruising he had."

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Despite this, it seems much more likely that we won't see the 29-year-old back fighting fit before next year.

But, this could actually line up perfectly for a blockbuster fight with Pimblett, who is the clear next choice for Topuria when he's ready to return.

Pimblett is currently set to fight France's Benoit Saint-Denis in the co-main event of Conor McGregor's comeback fight at UFC 329 on July 12.

Should Pimblett's bout be as violent as a typical fight with Saint-Denis, it's likely that he will want, or need, some time out afterwards to recover, regardless of the result.

It therefore could work out well for a potential fight to finally settle the years-long beef with Topuria, with the winner certainly next in line for a shot at the title.