Merab Dvalishvili is standing firmly behind Ilia Topuria after the fellow Georgian lost his championship belt and suffered serious injuries in his most recent fight.
Both Dvalishvili and Topuria dropped their titles in their last outings, with Dvalishvili losing a decision to Petr Yan in December. Topuria’s defeat came in a bout with Justin Gaethje that was followed by a car wreck involving the two, which resulted in two broken orbitals and a broken nose for Topuria.
Dvalishvili discussed Topuria’s performance and injuries in an interview with MMA Fighting, saying, "[The] fight was really tough," and adding, "Unfortunately, Ilia was fighting blind since the first round. I think one moment Justin Gaethje threw a punch [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."
Footage has circulated showing Justin Gaethje catching Ilia Topuria in the eye with a thumb during their fight, and similar thumb contact to the eye from Gaethje occurred against Paddy Pimblett in his previous fight.
Despite the setback, Dvalishvili voiced strong belief in Topuria’s future. "I have very big confidence [that] Ilia is not only going to come back, he will come back even stronger," he said. "He will come so motivated. He’s special. 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."
