Merab Dvalishvili Reveals Ilia Topuria Fought with Compromised Vision After First Round vs. Gaethje
Merab Dvalishvili shared new details about Ilia Topuria's condition during his title fight against Justin Gaethje, claiming the former champion fought most of the bout with severely impaired vision.
New details have emerged regarding Ilia Topuria's loss to Justin Gaethje at UFC Freedom 250. According to close friend and former bantamweight champion Merab Dvalishvili, the Spanish-Georgian fighter suffered an eye injury early in the fight that significantly affected his vision for the remainder of the bout.
Merab Dvalishvili Reveals Topuria's Injury
At UFC Freedom 250, Ilia Topuria lost the lightweight title to Justin Gaethje via doctor's stoppage after the fourth round. According to Merab Dvalishvili, however, the former champion had been dealing with compromised vision for most of the fight. Speaking to MMA Fighting, the Georgian claimed Topuria suffered an eye injury early in the contest that severely affected his ability to see.
“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 , I think he eye poked him. It was even worse and then Ilia blind in both eyes. He to keep fighting. He almost finished Justin Gaethje from the body shot. He even dropped him. (...) Yes when you got eye poked or you broke this bone, you are blind pretty much. That affects the fight. That was the main thing. Ilia was fighting blind. That’s what Ilia said.”
Dvalishvili and Topuria have trained together and maintain a close friendship outside the Octagon, making the former bantamweight champion one of the people closest to Topuria's camp.
Topuria Lost by Doctor's Stoppage
Topuria and Gaethje delivered one of the most competitive fights of the night, but the American gradually took control of the contest. After a strong opening round and surviving a submission attempt in the second, Gaethje began dictating the pace with his jab and effective distance management, repeatedly landing clean shots that visibly damaged Topuria. By the end of the fourth round, the former champion's face was badly swollen, prompting cageside physicians to stop the fight before the fifth round.
What's Next for Topuria?
According to the medical suspensions released following the event, Topuria received a six-month medical suspension. It remains unclear whether the injury described by Dvalishvili was officially diagnosed as an orbital fracture or resulted from an eye poke during the contest. The former champion is now expected to spend some time away from the Octagon before beginning his climb back toward title contention.
