Former UFC champion Merab Dvalishvili has said that Ilia Topuria was fighting blind after the early stages of his fight against Justin Gaethje.

As we know, Ilia Topuria lost the UFC lightweight championship at UFC Freedom 250 when he was defeated by Justin Gaethje. It was a hard-fought affair and Ilia certainly had his moments, but ultimately, it wasn’t enough, and ‘The Highlight’ finally managed to win the big one after years of trying – and a few failed attempts against Khabib Nurmagomedov and Charles Oliveira.

Ilia Topuria is a warrior in his own right and we all know that to be true, but it’s not insane to ask questions about what kind of response he will have after a beating like the one he took. The first professional loss for any mixed martial artist can really make you reevaluate your career, so it will be interesting to see what kind of changes he looks to implement.

In a recent interview, Merab Dvalishvili weighed in on Ilia Topuria’s loss.

Merab Dvalishvili discusses Ilia Topuria’s loss to Justin Gaethje

“My brother Ilia, unfortunately, he lost but he showed a great fight,” Dvalishvili told MMA Fighting. “Fight was really tough. Unfortunately, Ilia was fighting blind since the first round. I think one moment Justin Gaethje threw a punch like this [with his thumb extended], I think he eye poked him. It was even worse and then Ilia [was] blind in both eyes. He [wanted] to keep fighting. He almost finished Justin Gaethje from the body shot. He even dropped him.

“If Ilia continued [throwing] hammerfists or throwing punches, he would finish him. But Ilia chased the submission and then Justin Gaethje somehow survived. It was a tough fight but I’m proud of my brother Ilia. He showed a great, great fight.”

Quotes via MMA Fighting

Regardless of what may have been happening with Ilia’s vision, there’s no denying that Gaethje put on an incredible performance to secure the win. At the same time, Topuria will almost certainly be back in a world championship fight sooner rather than later, and we can’t wait to see how it plays out.

Ian Shutts

A combat sports journalist specialising in MMA, Boxing and Muay Thai with a special interest in Asian combat sports.