Ilia Topuria made a surprising announcement in September that he is finally eligible to return to the Octagon after doctors provided him with medical clearance. However, the former two-division champion’s claim met with fresh skepticism after fans noticed his still-swollen eyes during a recent livestream.

The Georgian-Spaniard went live on his Instagram from Georgia to show support for his good friend Merab Dvalishvili, who is fighting Petr Yan in a trilogy for the bantamweight belt at UFC 333 in Abu Dhabi. During the stream, some fans took notice of Topuria’s eyes, which still carried noticeable blackness from the beating he took against Justin Gaethje in their lightweight title fight at UFC White House in June.  

Naturally, fans started flooding ‘El Matador’s’ comments section with various reactions. However, Topuria confidently responded to the doubters.

“The eyes,” Topuria said. “The eyes never lie. Exactly. Look at the eyes of the best.”

Despite the former lightweight champion keeping his usual bravado, the fans on social media remained unconvinced of his recovery. As a result, they roasted Ilia Topuria on social media over the still-visible discoloration in his eyes.  

Fans share backlash after noticing Ilia Topuria’s eye condition

The aura of invisibility is gone. The eyes look full of doubt.

The eyes never lie indeed; it shows someone who has been humbled by Gaethje.

The eyes of a quitter

That’s the problem. I can’t see his eyes since that fight against Justin.

Nose crooked, one eye wonky compared to the other like wtf? Is this an AI filter lmao

Yeah, something’s different