Justin Gaethje, the UFC lightweight champion, has revised his account of how his fight with Ilia Topuria came to an end. In remarks on the One Night with Steiny podcast reported by MMA Fighting, Gaethje said it was Topuria's coaches, and not the fighter himself, who stopped the bout, according to ABC España.
The American had previously said, in the weeks after the two met at UFC Freedom 250 at the White House, that he had made the Spanish-Georgian quit on two occasions during the fight.
"He didn't quit on the stool. His body was too damaged to keep fighting. It wasn't him who made the decision, it was his coaches, because they are there to protect him. My coaches are in my corner to protect me in those moments."
Gaethje's new version holds that the former champion did not walk away by his own choice, but that his trainers stepped in to safeguard his physical integrity. The champion's softened wording contrasts with the forcefulness he had shown earlier when discussing Topuria's defeat.