Justin Gaethje inflicted a painful defeat on Ilia Topuria , but attributed the responsibility for the result to the Spaniard. The American had his arm raised after four rounds of a true war at UFC Casa Branca , in a duel in which he managed to fracture the former champion's face. For Gaethje, Topuria made decisive emotional errors during the fight.
In an interview with Demetrious Johnson , Gaethje assessed that Topuria was not prepared for the intensity of the fight and ended up being surprised by his opponent's ability to stay in the fight for so long. The American also stated that the Spaniard lost sight of the risks involved in a high-level contest.
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“He wasn’t prepared for what happened that night. It’s his fault. He didn’t think it was possible for someone to stay in there with him for so long. He forgot who he was and how dangerous this game is,” said Justin Gaethje.
Justin Gaethje transformed Ilia Topuria's face at UFC Casa Branca
Topuria was punished by Gaethje in the UFC. Photo: Reproduction/Instagram/UFC
After a balanced first round, Ilia Topuria returned for the second determined to justify his five-to-one odds against Justin Gaethje at UFC Casa Branca . Despite landing some good strikes and coming close to finishing the fight, the American held on, and the Spaniard returned for the third round already showing clear signs of fatigue.
With Topuria slowing down, Gaethje began to find his range with precise jabs and even managed to stagger the former champion with a powerful straight punch. Gradually, the Spaniard's face became deformed from the accumulated damage, until, in the break between the fourth and fifth rounds, his team opted to stop the fight.
After the fight, it was confirmed that Topuria suffered fractures to the orbital bones of her face and to her nose.
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