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Islam Makhachev refuses to kick Ilia Topuria while he is down. Topuria was riding a wave of momentum and had seemingly been on the fast track to legendary status before Justin Gaethje provided a reality check. “El Matador” became a two-division champion rather quickly, and he was sure that his first lightweight title defense would be a successful one at UFC Freedom 250 back in June. Despite having some success and even dropping Gaethje with a body shot, it was clear that “The Highlight” was doing significant damage with his boxing. Topuria kept moving forward, which ultimately was his downfall. He reportedly suffered a broken orbital before failing to get off his stool for the final round. Gaethje handed Topuria the first loss of his pro MMA career via fourth-round corner stoppage. While one might’ve expected Makhachev to pour salt in the wound given Topuria’s desire to fight him, that’s not the case. Speaking to UFC Hall of Famer Demetrious Johnson, Makhachev said he hopes to see “El Matador” make a strong comeback. “He’s still young bro, he has time. I hope he will come back,” Makhachev said. “Ilia’s a good fighter bro. He has good punches, good wrestling. If he focuses, maybe he’ll be champion again. But this fight changed his life. But we don’t know which way.” Topuria has been seen in public without his sunglasses, and it appears his face has been healing quickly. Some are still wondering if the beating Topuria suffered against Gaethje will lead to him being more hesitant when striking. Topuria’s boxing had been his bread and butter, and it earned him huge knockouts over the likes of Alexander Volkanovski, Max Holloway, and Charles Oliveira. Are you surprised by Islam Makhachev’s encouraging words for Ilia Topuria? Sound off in the comments below. This article appeared first on BJPENN.COM