Conor McGregor Imagines Ilia Topuria Recreating His Infamous UFC 223 Dolly Attack After Merab Dvalishvili Incident

· Yahoo Sports

Ilia Topuria could get a chance to recreate one of the most infamous moments in MMA history. As fans know by now, Merab Dvalishvili was caught in a sneak attack involving Usman Nurmagomedov and his Dagestani entourage in a hotel lobby in Abu Dhabi.

Footage of the altercation showed Dvalishvili in the middle of an interview when Nurmagomedov approached him from behind and slapped him. Things quickly escalated into an all-out brawl, with Dvalishvili’s friend, Saba Lazishvili, jumping in and taking down two Dagestani fighters.

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The incident drew widespread criticism from the MMA community, particularly from Topuria, who called Nurmagomedov and his men cowards and claimed that the undefeated PFL fighter had been detained. Even Conor McGregor joined the conversation, although his reaction took a rather different turn.

The Irishman shared a morphed image referencing his infamous UFC 223 bus attack on Khabib Nurmagomedov and his team, with Topuria’s head edited onto his body. The image showed McGregor throwing a dolly at the bus eight years ago, only this time with Topuria in his place.

 

 

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It was a reference to the fan uproar about the Spaniard travelling halfway across the world to confront Nurmagomedov and his entourage in retaliation for the attack on Dvalishvili. The comparison is particularly interesting given what happened on April 5, 2018.

On that day, McGregor and a group of associates stormed the loading dock at the Barclays Center in Brooklyn, New York, and attacked a bus carrying Khabib Nurmagomedov and several other fighters following UFC 223 media day. During the incident, McGregor picked up a metal hand truck, commonly known as a dolly, and hurled it through the bus window, shattering the glass and injuring multiple people on board.

The attack was reportedly retaliation for an earlier confrontation in which Nurmagomedov and his entourage cornered and slapped McGregor’s close friend and teammate, Artem Lobov, at a Brooklyn hotel. The dispute stemmed from critical remarks Lobov had previously made about Nurmagomedov in an interview.

After learning about the confrontation, McGregor flew from Ireland to New York on a private jet with his entourage to confront Nurmagomedov. Although the Dagestani fighter escaped unharmed inside the vehicle, the shattered glass and flying debris caused significant collateral damage.

The incident also had major consequences for UFC 223, with three fights being scrapped. Michael Chiesa vs. Anthony Pettis and Ray Borg vs. Brandon Moreno were canceled, while Lobov was pulled from his scheduled bout against Alex Caceres by the UFC because of his involvement in the arena attack alongside McGregor.

Now, following the incident involving Dvalishvili, several fans have called for Topuria to follow in McGregor’s footsteps. Some even joked about the Spaniard showing up at Nurmagomedov’s bus and throwing Hasbulla through the window to avenge his Georgian friend.

 

Alongside the morphed image, McGregor also shared a message, writing, “I’m loving the #CONORWASRIGHT #CONORWASRIGHTALLALONG trending right now! Thanks, guys, I love you all too! It’s all love, keep your eyes on the prize!”

The post referenced McGregor’s repeated claims back in 2018 that the Dagestani camp was not as humble as it portrayed itself to be. With Usman Nurmagomedov once again facing backlash following the Abu Dhabi incident, many MMA fans appear to be siding with the Irishman.

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