Ilia Topuria’s defeat surprised the sports world. The White House seemed destined to be the stage where ‘El Matador’ unified the lightweight belt in one of the biggest events in the history of MMA and sports in general. However, everything changed. A Justin Gaethje With a devastating blow he cut short the Spaniard’s plans. His defeat has transcended the field of mixed martial arts and It has become a warning for all elite athletes.
Anthony Joshua, shortly after the fight, declared that his mentality changed that day. “I think you have to dedicate yourself to this sport to understand that it’s no joke. It’s not what everyone thinks. It’s not all fun and games. It’s a very serious job,” he said. It was only necessary to see the state in which Ilia’s face was left after the UFC Freedom 250 to understand it. And the boxer learned a valuable lesson a few days before getting into the ring. The Briton faces the final weeks of preparation for his fight against Kristian Prenga, scheduled for July 25.
I think you have to dedicate yourself to this sport to understand that it is no joke.
And the beautiful – and cruel – thing about contact sports is thatA blow, or just a slight loss of concentration, can change everything. “Everything pointed to him being victorious. He had defeated rivals that Justin had lost against and everything seemed to be in their favor,” he explained, remembering that Any excess of confidence can be very expensive.
Ilia Topuria, before the fight against Gaethje at the White House.
He also meant to refer to the way in which Topuria celebrated the victory before their fight, without criticizing it, but drawing a lesson. “Ilia was celebrating before the fight. I’m not saying it was wrong, she has the right to do what she wants, but I drew a conclusion. I said to myself: ‘Go back to being untouchable, be less accessible, because this sport is too serious.'”
A lesson a few days after his combat
On July 25, Anthony has a key fight against Kristian Prenga as a prelude to the fight that all fans are waiting for: lto Tyson Fury. However, for the great confrontation to occur, You will first have to pass this first test. And, as we already saw with Ilia, in this sport anything can happen. Therefore, Joshua assures that he will keep his feet on the ground and hopes to avoid any overconfidence or lack of concentration.