Justin Gaethje rejects claims Ilia Topuria quit but highlights moment his ‘spirit’ was broken

Justin Gaethje doesn’t believe Ilia Topuria quit during their four-round war

Gaethje picked up two more post-fight bonuses after putting on exactly the kind of show fans have come to expect from him inside the Octagon.

Even though Topuria showed plenty of toughness throughout, some, including Paddy Pimblett, suggested he quit after not making it to the final round.

Gaethje has a history of pushing fighters to their breaking point. While he came close again on Sunday night, he didn’t think Topuria fully gave in.

Ilia Topuria was taken to the hospital after suffering his first professional loss and absorbing a lot of damage along the way.

Even though he was trailing on the scorecards when the fight was stopped, Topuria had some strong moments against Justin Gaethje.

The turning point in Justin Gaethje vs Ilia Topuria

The Highlight’ spoke highly of his opponent afterwards, mentioning that body shots from the second round were still bothering him at the post-fight press conference.

While Gaethje doesn’t agree that Topuria quit, he did point out that surviving a tough stretch in round two may have been a key moment in how things played out.

The fight started off close, with Topuria rallying well in the second round after a fast start from Gaethje. But everything shifted in the third when Topuria was dropped and looked like he needed something big to turn things around.

He managed to pull himself together for a stronger showing in round four, but by then, much of what needed fixing had already gone wrong.

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