Manuel Torres on Gaethje's Topuria upset: 'It went well for me'

Manuel Torres thinks Justin Gaethje did him a favor by stopping Ilia Topuria at UFC White House earlier this month.

Torres headlines UFC Baku on Saturday against Rafael Fiziev, his first main event slot, coming on the heels of Gaethje's fourth-round corner-stoppage win over Topuria that crowned a new lightweight champion. Speaking to MMA Fighting through an interpreter, Torres said he did not see the upset coming but admitted he was pulling for Gaethje. "I was surprised, but I was kind of going for Justin on that one," Torres said. "It went well for me at the end of the day."

Why Gaethje's win helps Torres and the lightweight division

Torres explained that Gaethje's victory shakes up a division that had been frozen by Topuria's dominance. "I think that now, I think this makes the division flow more," he said. "It give opportunity to other fighters." Topuria entered the fight as a heavy favorite and was widely expected to move up to welterweight had he retained the belt. Instead, Gaethje proved tougher than anticipated. "He couldn't get it done against Gaethje," Torres noted. "He had four rounds that he was trying, he was actually giving his best. Big shots he was trying to land, hitting him once in a while, but it wasn't putting him down."

Fiziev comes in looking to rebound after a January stoppage loss to Mauricio Ruffy at UFC 325, his fourth defeat in five outings. Torres called the main event assignment "a dream come true" and said the work has paid off. "I'm happy that what I've done has led me to this: The opportunity to be in a main event and, God willing, I hope everything goes well this Saturday," he said.

UFC Baku takes place Saturday with Torres and Fiziev closing the card from Baku, Azerbaijan.

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• MMA Fighting — Manuel Torres reacts to Justin Gaethje stopping Ilia Topuria at UFC White House, explains why result ‘went well for me’