Merab Dvalishvili thinks a key moment in the fight impacted Ilia Topuria against Justin Gaethje.
Topuria (17-1 MMA, 9-1 UFC) was battered and bloodied in his lightweight title loss to Gaethje at UFC Freedom 250. Gaethje (28-5 MMA, 11-5 UFC) was up three rounds to one when the doctors waved the fight off at the end of Round 4.
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Topuria suffered visible damage to both eyes, where he credited Gaethje for taking the vision from his right eye in Round 1, then the left one by the end of Round 2. Dvalishvili thinks it was an early Gaethje eye poke that hampered Topuria’s vision.
“I think Ilia is one of the best in the 155-pound division,” Dvalishvili told MMA Junkie Radio. “For me, Ilia is still a winner because he was winning this fight and then he was so close to finishing Justin Gaethje, second round when he dropped him with the body shot. If Ilia continued hitting him, he could finish him. But Ilia wanted a great finish and he went for triangle (choke). I’m sure he wanted to make him sleep, and Justin Gaethje was smart – he went flat down, and he survived from that. But I have to mention a couple of things. Ilia was blind from the first round, and then he was fighting with one eye.
“Then, Justin Gaethje, great fight, much respect to him, but he did eye poke Ilia one time. He hit him like this (with an outstretched thumb), and then I think that affected also Ilia. Then I think Ilia broke his nose and other (orbital). Ilia was pretty much blind, nose broken, and he was still fighting hard. For me, Ilia is still a winner. It was a great fight. Ilia really showed his heart and showed his toughness, and congratulations to Justin Gaethje, but hopefully he’s not going to retire, and they will have a rematch. I believe Ilia would win a rematch and if they fight a trilogy, Ilia will still be the winner.”
Former bantamweight champion Dvalishvili, who’s coming off a title loss himself to Petr Yan at UFC 323, says Topuria’s loss hit him hard.
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“It’s been a hard week for me because I know how hard Ilia had been working, I know how good he is, and I was heartbroken to see him lose,” Dvalishvili said. “It was really, really emotional for me. I’ve been depressed all this week, and I hardly slept, but Ilia will come back from this and he will be champion again.”
This article originally appeared on MMA Junkie: Merab Dvalishvili: Ilia Topuria ‘was pretty much blind’ after Gaethje eye poke
