Merab Dvalishvili claimed that Justin Gaethje poked Ilia Topuria in the eye during the first round of their fight at UFC Freedom 250. Gaethje won the fight via fourth-round TKO.
What happened?
Gaethje pulled off a massive upset at the UFC White House card when he beat Topuria to unify the UFC lightweight titles. But Dvalishvili says it was partly because of an eye poke committed by Gaethje.
Dvalishvili spoke to MMAFighting.com's Damon Martin, saying that Gaethje poked Topuria in the eye in the first round, and after that, the former UFC lightweight champion was “blind” in the fight.
Why it matters for Merab Dvalishvili
Dvalishvili believes an eye poke was what led to Topuria’s downfall in the fight. Referee Marc Goddard did not call a foul on Gaethje or even warn him for any eye poke.
Dvalishvili wants Ilia Topuria vs. Justin Gaethje rematch, believing the matchup would go very differently if they meet for a second time in the Octagon.
What comes next?
While a rematch would certainly be interesting, it feels more likely another contender gets the title shot first since Topuria was finished in the fight. Dvalishvili has very big confidence that Ilia is not only going to come back but will come back even stronger.
Dvalishvili said that Ilia will come back and win his belt back and continue his winning streak again. Topuria's corner waved the fight off due to their fighter not being able to see.
The fight was really tough, and Dvalishvili is proud of his brother Ilia. He showed a great fight, and Dvalishvili thinks Ilia would finish Gaethje if he continued throwing hammerfists or punches.
Ilia was fighting blind since the first round, and that affected the fight. Dvalishvili thinks one moment Justin Gaethje threw a punch like this, with his thumb extended, and he eye poked him.
It was even worse, and then Ilia was blind in both eyes. He wanted to keep fighting, and he almost finished Justin Gaethje from the body shot.
Dvalishvili said that Gaethje was the better man that night on the UFC White House lawn. But he believes that the matchup would go very differently if they meet for a second time in the Octagon.
The former UFC lightweight champion was “blind” in the fight, and that was the main thing. Ilia was fighting blind, and that's what Ilia said.
Dvalishvili has very big confidence that Ilia will come back and win his belt back. He will come back even stronger, and he will continue his winning streak again.
The fight was tough, but Dvalishvili is proud of his brother Ilia. He showed a great fight, and Dvalishvili thinks Ilia would finish Gaethje if he continued throwing hammerfists or punches.
On the UFC White House card, Gaethje beat Topuria to unify the UFC lightweight titles via fourth-round TKO. The corner waved the fight off due to their fighter not being able to see.
Dvalishvili wants a rematch between these two fighters, and he believes that the matchup would go very differently if they meet for a second time in the Octagon. Ilia will come back and win his belt back, and he will continue his winning streak again.