An experienced MMA officer has defended Ilia Topuria against claims that he cheated on the scale one day before UFC 317.
28 June was a successful night for Topuria, when he followed his short but violent Stint at the top of the featherweight division with multi-weight glory at 155 pounds.
Topuria played Charles Oliveira on UFC 317 to become the newest second division champion and to extend his unbeaten professional record with another brutal finish.
But as his reign starts, a select number does not see the Spaniard as the legitimate lightweight King due to an incident on the scale on the day before the International Fight Week Pay-per-View.
Photo by Jeff Bottari/Zuffa LLC
John McCarthy clarifies the fault of the commissioner during the welia Topuria weighting
Although he went up in weight, Topuria had a first fear during his weighting last Friday.
NSAC-carrying director Jeff Mullen originally mentioned the weight of the Spaniard as 155.5 pounds, half a pound above the champion limit for UFC Lightweight Title Fights. When he realized that, he quickly returned to the scale before he called 155 on the spot.
The incident showed many eyebrows, with some who claimed that Topuria had missed the weight, but it had covered it so that the main event of the UFC 317 did not collapse.
However, legendary MMA figure John McCarthy says that those claims are ridiculous. 'Big' John explained what really happened during a recent episode of his weigh in Podcast.
“This is what happens, you have a triple jet scale … What they do is to be told, 'lightweight'. So they will take and they will lay the weight, usually around 155.5 to 156. Because what should the hunter weigh (for non-title fights)?
“It has that pointer and it does this (levels) next to it and he goes,” 155.5! ” Then they go: “No, this is a championship fight, it must be precise.” He goes back, let's go the thing (down) and it goes to 155. It was a mistake in whom he thought moisture.
“The man who did it, Jeff Mullen … It's not like he's going to put his job at stake … He has been to sport forever,” added McCarthy. 'You are sitting there to make something out of nothing. He false not false for Ilia.
“If Ilia was over, he would have said,” He must lose weight. ” … Jeff would have been honest.
Ilia Topuria's first UFC Lightweight Title Defense
It is still too seen when Topuria has to weigh again – and who he will fight.
Although a face-off between Topuria and Paddy Pimblett seemed to suggest that as the likely matchup, many were pushed back to 'The Baddy' who received a title shot after his victory over Michael Chandler.
With that, some, instead, pointed to Arman Tsarukyan and Justin Gaethje, and it seems that the withdrawal of the first from a chance last January brought the last in pole position.
Although Dana White criticizes Gaethje's threat to retire if he doesn't get a title shot, Topuria's manager Lukasz Orzel said in an interview with Kanał Sportowy that “the highlight” is “the closest” to get the fight.
“Third belt is a matter of time. For now we have given our word to the UFC that we stay with lightweight,” said Orzel (H/t Matyseek).
“We are waiting to see who comes to mind when the natural competition. We would like to fight again this year. Gaethje is the closest, the time will tell if he's.”