Nate Diaz’s Brutal Verdict on Ilia Topuria's "Punching Bag" Remark After Gaethje Loss
Ilia Topuria's first professional defeat to Justin Gaethje fueled Nate Diaz's new attack on the Georgian-Spanish player. “Ilia is lame as f*ck. He is a punching bag. He called me a punching bag." Gaethje repeatedly attacked Topuria with his blows.
Ilia Topuria's first professional defeat to Justin Gaethje fueled Nate Diaz's new attack on the Georgian-Spanish player. Diaz thinks Topuria's reputation grew before he saw the kind of brutality that really puts a fighter to the test. The prejudice began when Topuria labeled Diaz a punching bag and mocked him. Now, Diaz has reversed that slur, claiming that when Topuria finally faced a strong lightweight contender who could match his strength, he evolved into one himself.
Ilia Topuria gets compared to Conor McGregor
Recently, in an interview with MMA Junkie, Diaz stated: “Ilia is lame as f*ck. He is a punching bag. He called me a punching bag. He got his a*s whooped, and they made a big deal out of him, just like they did with Conor [McGregor] when he first started coming up. They pumped him up early before he had been in a real fight. So that's what happened to him when he got into a real fight with Justin Gaethje. Now look at you.”
At UFC Freedom 250, Ilia Topuria faced Gaethje to keep his lightweight title. Gaethje repeatedly attacked Topuria with his blows before forcing the stoppage, which resulted in a fourth-round TKO. The Irishman experienced his first UFC defeat at UFC 196 in 2016, which led to Diaz being compared to McGregor. McGregor was having an impressive featherweight run at the time.
He was expected to face Rafael dos Anjos for the lightweight title. Unfortunately, dos Anjos pulled out because of a foot injury. Diaz took his place, and the fight was moved to the welterweight division. Diaz beat McGregor in the second round after taking some early damage.
Belal Muhammad shares remarks on the Ilia Topuria vs. Justin Gaethje rematch
In Belal Muhammad's recent YouTube video, he says, "What do I think about it? I don't think Topuria deserves it. It was a fantastic fight, but he made you quit. He broke him, and it was a clear decision. It wasn't like a split decision; it came down to the wire. He got him; he won; he finished him."
The idea of Ilia Topuria and Justin Gaethje getting a rematch immediately, following their lightweight title bout, has been turned down by Belal Muhammad. He feels that the result was too obvious to warrant rescheduling the bout. He recommended a grudge match with Paddy Pimblett as the most reasonable choice.