Merab Dvalishvili claimed that Justin Gaethje poked Ilia Topuria in the eye during the first round of their fight at UFC Freedom 250.
Gaethje pulled off a massive upset at the UFC White House card when he beat Topuria to unify the UFC lightweight titles via fourth-round TKO when the corner waved the fight off due to their fighter not being able to see.
But while it appeared that all the damage Gaethje did to Topuria’s face with legal blows was the reason he couldn’t see, Topuria’s close friend Dvalishvili says it was partly because of an eye poke committed by Gaethje.
Merab Dvalishvili Says Justin Gaethje Poked Ilia Topuria in the Eye
Speaking to MMAFighting.com’s Damon Martin, Dvalishvili said that Gaethje poked Topuria in the eye in the first round, and after that, the former UFC lightweight champion was “blind” in the fight.
“My brother Ilia, unfortunately, he lost but he showed a great fight. 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,” Dvalishvili said.
Ultimately, referee Marc Goddard did not call a foul on Gaethje or even warn him for any eye poke, but Dvalishvili truly believes an eye poke was what led to Topuria’s downfall in the fight.
Merab Dvalishvili Wants Ilia Topuria vs. Justin Gaethje Rematch
While Dvalishvili said that Gaethje was the better man that night on the UFC White House lawn, Topuria’s fellow Georgian native would like to see 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.
“Yes when you got eye poked or you broke this (orbital) bone, you are blind pretty much. That affects the fight. That was the main thing. Ilia was fighting blind. That’s what Ilia said. I have very big confidence, Ilia is not only going to come back, he will come back even stronger. He will come so motivated. He’s special. When I say special, we all know he’s special. He’s proved it many times. That wasn’t his night. Like I said, it was a couple of things. He got eye poked and he got a (broken) bone in his nose, I believe. Then that affects his fight. Now, he will come back and he will win his belt back and he will continue his winning streak again,” Dvalishvili said.
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, and that the former champ will have to work his way back to a title fight with another win first.
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