“He was done”: Merab Dvalishvili reveals what life was like after Ilia Topuria’s UFC Freedom 250 defeat to Justin Gaethje

Merab Dvalishvili has broken his silence on close friend Ilia Topuria’s heartbreaking loss to Justin Gaethje at UFC Freedom 250. The former UFC bantamweight champion admitted the defeat affected him deeply and revealed he struggled to cope with the result for weeks.Topuria suffered the first loss of his professional MMA career when Gaethje stopped him in the fourth round at the White House event earlier this month. The defeat also ended Topuria’s reign as lightweight champion. Dvalishvili, who has shared a close friendship with Topuria for years, defended his teammate and criticized those who mocked him after the loss.

Merab Dvalishvili defends Ilia Topuria after painful UFC Freedom 250 loss

Merab Dvalishvili and Ilia Topuria have been two of the biggest names to come out of Georgian MMA.

Both fighters reached the top of the UFC, with Dvalishvili holding the bantamweight title and Topuria winning championships at featherweight and lightweight. However, both have now lost their belts after suffering defeats in recent months.

Speaking during a livestream with N3on, Dvalishvili admitted that watching Topuria lose was one of the toughest moments he has experienced. He said the criticism aimed at his friend hurt him even more than the result itself.

According to Dvalishvili, he has barely been able to sleep over the past two weeks because he keeps thinking about the fight and the harsh comments that followed.The former champion also took aim at Arman Tsarukyan for making negative remarks about Topuria after the event. Dvalishvili said he respects Tsarukyan as a fighter, but was disappointed that he chose to criticize someone who had just suffered the first defeat of his career.

He explained that hearing people speak badly about Topuria has been painful because of their close friendship.Dvalishvili also shared his belief that the fight changed after Topuria suffered vision problems. He claimed Topuria lost clear sight in both eyes after the second round because Gaethje repeatedly extended his fingers during exchanges. According to Dvalishvili, Topuria was in complete control early in the fight and had already won the opening rounds.He further explained that Topuria came close to finishing Gaethje after scoring a takedown. In his view, Topuria could have ended the contest with ground strikes but instead attempted to secure a submission. That decision allowed Gaethje to survive, recover, and eventually turn the fight around.Despite the defeat, Dvalishvili remains confident that Topuria will bounce back stronger. He believes one loss does not define a fighter’s legacy and expects his longtime friend to return to title contention in the near future. With Topuria still among the UFC’s biggest stars, many fans are already waiting to see who he faces next after the toughest night of his career. For now, El Matador remains suspended for 6 months from competing due to medical reasons. It is still unclear when he will return back to the octagon.