‘F*ck Those People’: Merab Dvalishvili Slams Ilia Topuria Critics

Merab Dvalishvili and Ilia Topuria share a very close bond outside of the octagon. The duo have been found to be cheering for each other on multiple occasions. Now, following Topuria’s brutal loss against Justin Gaethje, things looked quite sombre for Topuria. As online fans criticized the Spanish star, Dvalishvili has come up with a brutal response. 

Merab Dvalishvili Details why Ilia Topuria Deserves Respect

Ahead of Topuria’s bout against Gaethje, it was touted as a tough matchup for ‘El Matador,' but once the referee called “fight,” things looked like war. As both the stars traded heavy punches at each other, Gaethje looked sharp in his approach. Landing some heavy blows to the face, Topuria was deemed unfit to continue the fight past the fourth round. 

This invited a lot of criticism from the crowd. Reacting to all the online hate, Dvalishvili detailed how Topuria was able to survive four rounds against a fearsome boxer of Gaethje’s caliber. He told Ariel Helwani, “Ilia fought four rounds with a broken orbital... Some people find the moment to disrespect him. F*ck those people who disrespect Ilia, my brother, or any warrior."

Surely, Dvalishvili has once again proved his friendship with the former two-division champion. Meanwhile, Arman Tsarukyan recently opined on who Topuria must fight next. 

Arman Tsarukyan Wants Ilia Topuria to Face Michael Chandler

Tsarukyan and Topuria had a longstanding feud despite not coming face to face inside the octagon. As the latter is in his recovery process, the Armenian fighter has recently stated how his possible comeback plan might look. 

He quipped, “Ilia Topuria is still in the recovery process and will probably have Michael Chandler as his next opponent… So who else could it be? After that loss (against Gaethje), he needs someone easy..."

Currently, there is no news about Topuria’s possible return. Neither has Chandler replied to Tsarukyan’s take of him being an ‘easy’ opponent.