Michael Bisping thinks the manner in which Ilia Topuria lost to Justin Gaethje could change him – for the worse.
Topuria (17-1 MMA, 9-1 UFC) was battered in a lightweight title loss to Gaethje (28-5 MMA, 11-5 UFC) in this past Sunday’s UFC Freedom 250 headliner at the White House in Washington. Prior to the fight, Topuria updated his Instagram bio to reflect a Gaethje win, and threw a victory party – something he’s already done before.
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Bisping is concerned with what the loss will do to Topuria’s confidence after he tasted defeat for the first time in his career.
“He might never be the same fighter,” Bisping said of Topuria on the “JAXXON PODCAST.” “He was undefeated. He got beaten badly. I’m a fan of Ilia Topuria – not only the way he fights, the way that he carries himself. He’s a really cool guy. He’s a gentleman. There’s no controversy. He’s a cool guy. I think Josh Hokit rattled him a bit at the press conference. He was a little bit off all week because of the stuff from Hokit, and he pushed Justin Gaethje (at the weigh-ins).
“I think he lets his emotions get in the way a little bit. However, when you lose a fight like that, you’ve been beaten. Like ‘Prince’ Naseem Hamed: He was destroying everyone, then he lost one fight, and he was never the same again. Now you know you can be beaten. There’s that doubt in there. Who knows? Maybe he comes back, and he’s a better version of himself, but we don’t know until that happens.”
Topuria suffered significant damage to both eyes, resulting in a 180-day suspension. He will need to seek oral and maxillofacial surgeon clearance.
This article originally appeared on MMA Junkie: Michael Bisping wonders if Ilia Topuria can overcome Gaethje loss
