Topuria was 'fighting blind' from round one, says Dvalishvili after Gaethje defeat

Ilia Topuria was effectively blind for the majority of his first professional loss, according to close friend and training partner Merab Dvalishvili, who says a first-round eye poke severely compromised the Georgian fighter throughout his lightweight title defeat to Justin Gaethje at UFC White House.

Topuria, whose corner stopped the fight after the fourth round with both eyes nearly swollen shut, had already vowed to avenge the loss and reclaim his title. But Dvalishvili has now added crucial context, suggesting the damage began far earlier than the stoppage implied.

“Fight was really tough. Unfortunately, Ilia was fighting blind since the first round,” Dvalishvili told MMA Fighting. “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.”

Dvalishvili pointed to a specific moment late in the fight as evidence that Topuria remained dangerous despite his impairment. The former champion landed a body shot that dropped Gaethje and nearly finished the fight, but pursued a submission rather than following up with ground-and-pound — a decision Dvalishvili believes cost him the finish.

“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.”

Dvalishvili also revealed that Topuria sustained a broken bone in his nose during the contest, compounding the eye damage and further limiting his ability to fight at full capacity.

“When you got eye poked or you broke this [orbital] bone, you are blind pretty much,” he said. “That affects the fight. That was the main thing. Ilia was fighting blind. That’s what Ilia said.”

Despite the painful defeat, Dvalishvili expressed full confidence in Topuria’s ability to bounce back, calling his compatriot “special” and predicting a title recapture.

“I have very big confidence, Ilia is not only going to come back, he will come back even stronger. He will come so motivated. That wasn’t his night. Now, he will come back and he will win his belt back and he will continue his winning streak again.”

Dvalishvili himself is preparing for a wrestling match against Olympic gold medalist Henry Cejudo in RAF on July 11, but admitted that Topuria’s loss has weighed heavily on him since the event.