Misplaced Pages

Latest revision as of 05:45, 29 December 2024

Ilia Topuria
Topuria in 2024
Born	(1997-01-21) January 21, 1997 (age 27) Halle, Germany
Other names	El Matador
Nationality	Georgian Spanish
Height	5 ft 7 in (170 cm)
Weight	145 lb (66 kg; 10 st 5 lb)
Division	Lightweight (2022) Featherweight (2015–2021, 2022–present) Bantamweight (2018)
Reach	69 in (175 cm)
Stance	Orthodox
Fighting out of	Alicante, Spain
Team	Climent Club (2012–present)
Rank	Black belt in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu under Jorge and Agustin Climent
Years active	2015–present
Mixed martial arts record
Total	16
Wins	16
By knockout	6
By submission	8
By decision	2
Losses	0
Other information
Mixed martial arts record from Sherdog
Signature

Ilia Topuria (Georgian: ილია თოფურია; born January 21, 1997) is a Georgian and Spanish professional mixed martial artist. He currently competes in the Featherweight division of the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC), where he is the current UFC Featherweight Champion and the first Georgian fighter to win a UFC championship. As of July 30, 2024, he is #4 in the UFC men's pound-for-pound rankings.

Background

Topuria was born in Halle Westfalen, Germany to Georgian parents who were refugees from Abkhazia.

At the age of seven, Topuria moved to Georgia with his family and started practicing Greco-Roman wrestling at a local school. At the age of 15, he again relocated to live in Alicante in Spain, where he started practicing martial arts at the Climent Club. In 2015, he made his debut as a professional in local competitions. Topuria has an older brother, Aleksandre, who is also a professional mixed martial artist signed to the UFC.

Initially coming into the UFC organization with a strong base in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu, Topuria dedicated himself to enhancing his stand-up game, particularly his boxing, under the guidance of experienced coaches. His boxing style is marked by precise shot selection, fluid combinations, and remarkable power, which was on full display during his knockout victories over Max Holloway and Alexander Volkanovski in 2024. Topuria's approach to boxing is strategic, using his footwork and positioning to set up clean, fight-altering punches. His ability to land powerful strikes while maintaining composure has made him one of the most dangerous all around fighters in the division.

Mixed martial arts career

Early career

Topuria started his career with four straight submission wins on the Spanish regional scene and won a belt in Mix Fight Events promotion. In 2018, he competed in his first international fight in Cage MMA Finland. In the same year, in May, he became the first Georgian black belt in Brazilian Jiu-jitsu alongside his brother Alex Topuria. Months later he received the opportunity to fight for the Cage Warriors Bantamweight Championship at the Lotto Arena in Antwerp, Belgium. Ilia failed to make the agreed weight so despite winning the fight quickly, he did not get the belt.

In 2019, he signed with Brave Combat Federation. Ilia made his promotional debut in Bogotá, Colombia, defeating Luis Gomez in the first round by submission; which earned him the award for best performance of the night. On November 15, 2019, in Bahrain, he won his second fight in BRAVE by defeating Steven Goncalves by KO in the first round.

Ultimate Fighting Championship

Topuria, as a replacement for Seung Woo Choi, took a bout on short notice against Youssef Zalal on October 11, 2020 at UFC Fight Night: Moraes vs. Sandhagen. Topuria won the fight via unanimous decision.

Topuria faced Damon Jackson on December 5, 2020, at UFC on ESPN: Hermansson vs. Vettori. He won the fight via knockout in round one.

Topuria faced Ryan Hall on July 10, 2021, at UFC 264. He won the fight via knockout in round one.

Topuria was scheduled to face Movsar Evloev on January 22, 2022, at UFC 270. However, Evloev withdrew from the bout for undisclosed reasons and was replaced by Charles Jourdain. However, Topuria was pulled from the card due to a medical issue related to cutting weight and the bout was cancelled.

Topuria faced Jai Herbert, replacing Mike Davis, on March 19, 2022, at UFC Fight Night 204. Topuria suffered a knockdown from a head kick in round one, but recovered and won the fight via knockout in round two. With this win, he received the Performance of the Night award.

Topuria was scheduled to face Edson Barboza on October 29, 2022, at UFC Fight Night 213. However, Barboza withdrew in late September due to a knee injury and the bout was cancelled.

Topuria faced Bryce Mitchell on December 10, 2022, at UFC 282. He won the fight via submission in round two. This win earned him the Performance of the Night award.

Topuria was initially scheduled to face Josh Emmett on June 17, 2023, at UFC on ESPN 47. However, the promotion later announced that the bout was shifted to headline UFC on ABC: Emmett vs. Topuria on June 24, 2023. He won the fight via unanimous decision. The bout earned him the Fight of the Night award.

UFC Featherweight Champion

In October 2023, Topuria was scheduled to face Alexander Volkanovski on January 20, 2024, for the UFC Featherweight Championship at UFC 297. However, on ten days notice replacing an injured Charles Oliveira, Volkanovski faced Islam Makhachev for the UFC Lightweight Championship at UFC 294 on October 21, 2023, and was knocked out in the first round. As a result, Topuria vs. Volkanovski was pushed back one month to headline UFC 298 on February 17, 2024. Topuria won the featherweight championship via knockout in the second round, ending Volkanovski's four-year reign as champion. This fight earned him the Performance of the Night award.

Topuria defended his UFC Featherweight Championship against former champion Max Holloway on October 26, 2024, at UFC 308. He won the fight by knockout in the third round, leading to the first knockout loss of Holloway's career. This fight earned him another Performance of the Night award.

Championships and accomplishments

Mixed martial arts

• Ultimate Fighting Championship
  • UFC Featherweight Championship (One time, current)
    • One successful title defense
    • First Georgian champion in UFC history
  • Performance of the Night (Four times) vs. Jai Herbert, Bryce Mitchell, Alexander Volkanovski and Max Holloway
  • Fight of the Night (One Time) vs. Josh Emmett
  • UFC.com Awards
    • 2020: Ranked #8 Newcomer of the Year
    • 2022: Ranked #7 Knockout of the Year vs. Jai Herbert & Ranked #9 Submission of the Year vs. Bryce Mitchell
    • 2024: Fighter of the Year (Tied with Alex Pereira), Ranked #2 Knockout of the Year vs. Max Holloway & Ranked #6 Knockout of the Year vs. Alexander Volkanovski
• Mix Fight Events
  • MFE Featherweight Championship (One time)
• MMAjunkie.com
  • 2022 December Submission of the Month vs. Bryce Mitchell

Personal life

Topuria speaks fluent Georgian language and also speaks a bit of Mingrelian. Topuria and his partner have a son (born 2019) and daughter (born 2024).

Topuria's older brother Aleksandre, also a mixed martial artist, is expected to debut with the UFC in February 2025.

On March 5, 2024, Topuria obtained Spanish citizenship after it was announced at the Council of Ministers press conference.

On March 21, 2024, Topuria was awarded the Order of Honor by the President of Georgia in Orbeliani Palace, Tbilisi, Georgia. That day Georgian Prime Minister Irakli Kobakhidze announced that the government will ensure Ilia retains his Georgian citizenship, making him a dual citizen of Georgia and Spain.

Mixed martial arts record

Pay-per-view bouts

See also

• List of current UFC fighters
• List of male mixed martial artists
• List of undefeated mixed martial artists

References

1. ^ "კობახიძის თქმით, მნიშვნელოვანია, ილია თოფურიას საქართველოს მოქალაქეობა შეუნარჩუნდეს". radiotavisupleba (in ge). 2024-03-19. Retrieved 2024-07-02.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: unrecognized language (link)
2. ^ "El Gobierno concede la nacionalidad española a Ilia Topuria". El Español (in Spanish). 2024-03-05. Retrieved 2024-03-05.
3. "Ilia Topuria (Featherweight) MMA Profile". ESPN. Retrieved 2024-10-26.
4. "Ilia Topuria ("El Matador") | MMA Fighter Page". Tapology. Retrieved 2024-10-26.
5. "Ilia Topuria | UFC". www.ufc.com. 2020-10-03. Retrieved 2024-10-26.
6. "Stats | UFC". ufcstats.com. Archived from the original on 28 January 2021. Retrieved 22 February 2021.
7. ^ Raj Ghosalkar (December 10, 2022). "Ilia Topuria's BJJ Background and His Coaches: Is Ilia Topuria A Black Belt?". Sportsmanor.com. Archived from the original on December 10, 2022. Retrieved December 10, 2022.
8. ^ Ariel Helwani (January 20, 2022). Ilia Topuria Explains How MMA Career Began By Skipping School - MMA Fighting. Archived from the original on January 21, 2022. Retrieved January 21, 2022 – via YouTube.
9. 3.25.21 UFC-ში ილია თოფურიას მომდევნო მეტოქე ცნობილია Archived 2022-07-05 at the Wayback Machine Imedi Media Holding
10. "UFC Rankings, Division Rankings, P4P rankings, UFC Champions | UFC.com". www.ufc.com. Archived from the original on 2023-06-20. Retrieved 2024-07-30.
11. "UFC 264 video: Ilia Topuria catches spinning back kick, KO's Ryan Hall". FIGHTMAG. 2021-07-11. Archived from the original on 2021-12-02. Retrieved 2022-01-17.
12. E. Spencer Kyte (2020-11-30). "Ilia Topuria Wants The World To Know His Name | UFC". www.ufc.com. Archived from the original on 2022-01-18. Retrieved 2022-01-17.
13. Ross Markey (2021-03-23). "Report - Ryan Hall vs. Ilia Topuria slated for UFC 264 on July 10th. -". FIGHT BANANAS. Archived from the original on 2022-01-18. Retrieved 2022-01-17.
14. "Ilia Topuriadef. Youssef Zalal :: UFC on ESPN+ 37 :: MMA Decisions". mmadecisions.com. Archived from the original on 2022-01-18. Retrieved 2022-01-17.
15. "UFC-ის ქართველი ჩემპიონი, Post Factum ილია თოფურიას ოჯახიდან". YouTube. 18 February 2024.
16. Gonzalo Campos MMA (4 June 2018), MMA On The Road - Ilia Topuria, archived from the original on 2021-07-09, retrieved 2021-07-10
17. "Buscar En Mi Web" (in Spanish). Archived from the original on 2019-11-28. Retrieved 2021-07-10.
18. ESPN (February 14, 2024). Ilia Topuria discusses his confidence ahead of UFC 298 title fight vs. Alex Volkanovski | ESPN MMA – via YouTube.
19. "Matt Brown calls Ilia Topuria a 'lock' for Fighter of the Year over Alex Pereira: 'That debate's pretty well settled'". MMA Fighting. October 29, 2024. Retrieved November 17, 2024.
20. "Topuria vs. Holloway: A Detailed Fight Breakdown". MMAUK. July 16, 2024. Retrieved November 25, 2024.
21. Jyrki Nurminen (April 28, 2018). "Live Results : Cage 43". mmaviking.com. Archived from the original on January 21, 2022. Retrieved January 21, 2022.
22. Prates, Fernanda (June 16, 2018). "Cage Warriors 94: Ilia Topuria makes quick work of Brian Bouland". mmajunkie.usatoday.com. Archived from the original on 10 April 2021. Retrieved 22 February 2021.
23. "KienyKe | El placer de Saber, Ver y Oír Más". KienyKe (in Spanish). Archived from the original on 2021-07-09. Retrieved 2021-07-10.
24. "Brave CF 26 | MMA Event". Tapology. Archived from the original on 11 August 2020. Retrieved 22 February 2021.
25. "Login • Instagram". www.instagram.com. Archived from the original on 2020-11-24. Retrieved 2021-07-10. {{cite web}}: Cite uses generic title (help)
26. Farah Hannoun (2019-11-16). "Brave CF 29 results: Azamat Murzakanov runs through competition to win KHK open weight title". MMA Junkie. Archived from the original on 2021-04-15. Retrieved 2021-02-22.
27. Farah Hannoun (2019-11-15). "Oh Georgia! Ilia Topuria and Guram Kutateladze score big knockouts at Brave CF 29". MMA Junkie. Archived from the original on 2021-07-09. Retrieved 2021-07-10.
28. Marcel Dorff (2020-10-02). "Toptalent Ilia Topuria tekent bij de UFC, treft Youssef Zalal op 10 oktober in Abu Dhabi". MMA DNA (in Dutch). Archived from the original on 2022-07-06. Retrieved 2022-01-21.
29. Bitter, Shawn (2020-10-10). "UFC Fight Island 5 Results: Ilia Topuria Stays Undefeated in Debut Win Over Youssef Zalal". Cageside Press. Archived from the original on 2020-10-16. Retrieved 2020-10-11.
30. Jamal Boussenaf (2020-11-07). "Ilia Topuria neemt het op 5 december op tegen Damon Jackson". MMA DNA (in Dutch). Archived from the original on 2021-10-08. Retrieved 2022-01-21.
31. Anderson, Jay (2020-12-05). "UFC Vegas 16 Results: Ilia Topuria Absolutely Floors Damon Jackson". Cageside Press. Archived from the original on 2020-12-06. Retrieved 2020-12-06.
32. Farah Hannoun and Danny Segura (2021-03-24). "Ryan Hall vs. Ilia Topuria added to UFC's July 10 event". mmajunkie.usatoday.com. Archived from the original on 2021-04-23. Retrieved 2021-03-24.
33. Anderson, Jay (2021-07-10). "UFC 264 Results: Ilia Topuria Overcomes Awkward Attacks, Finishes Ryan Hall Early". Cageside Press. Archived from the original on 2021-07-11. Retrieved 2021-07-11.
34. Alexander K. Lee (2021-10-25). "Movsar Evloev vs. Ilia Topuria in the works for UFC 270". mmafighting.com. Retrieved 2021-10-25.
35. Heck, Mike (2022-01-11). "Movsar Evloev scratched from UFC 270, Ilia Topuria calls for Dan Ige to replace". MMA Fighting. Archived from the original on 2022-01-12. Retrieved 2022-01-12.
36. Jay Pettry. "Charles Jourdain to Face Ilia Topuria on Short Notice at UFC 270". Sherdog. Archived from the original on 2022-01-16. Retrieved 2022-01-14.
37. Law, Eddie (2022-01-21). "Ilia Topuria Out Of Charles Jourdain Bout At UFC 270". Cageside Press. Archived from the original on 2022-01-21. Retrieved 2022-01-22.
38. "Mike Davis isn't facing Jai Herbert at UFC London because 'it just doesn't make sense to take the fight'". MMA Junkie. 2022-02-12. Archived from the original on 2022-03-10. Retrieved 2022-02-18.
39. Behunin, Alex (2022-03-19). "UFC London: Ilia Topuria Flatlines Jai Herbert In The Second Round". Cageside Press. Archived from the original on 2022-03-19. Retrieved 2022-03-19.
40. ^ "UFC Fight Night 204 bonuses: Nine fighters go home with $50,000". MMA Junkie. 2022-03-19. Archived from the original on 2022-11-28. Retrieved 2022-03-20.
41. "UFC books Edson Barboza vs. Ilia Topuria for Oct. 29 event". MMA Junkie. 2022-07-29. Archived from the original on 2022-07-29. Retrieved 2022-07-30.
42. "Bryce Mitchell vs. Ilia Topuria being finalized for UFC 282 in Las Vegas". MMA Junkie. 2022-10-24. Archived from the original on 2022-10-24. Retrieved 2022-10-28.
43. Anderson, Jay (2022-12-10). "UFC 282: Ilia Topuria Stuns, Submits Bryce Mitchell in Dominant Showing". Cageside Press. Archived from the original on 2022-12-11. Retrieved 2022-12-11.
44. ^ Hiergesell, Dan (2022-12-11). "Bonuses! All Fighters With Finishes Collect $50K". MMAmania.com. Archived from the original on 2022-12-11. Retrieved 2022-12-11.
45. Cole Shelton (2023-03-29). "Josh Emmett vs. Ilia Topuria set to headline UFC Fight Night card in June". bjpenn.com. Archived from the original on 2023-03-29. Retrieved 2023-03-29.
46. Matthew Wells (April 20, 2023). "Josh Emmett vs. Ilia Topuria gets new date, now headlines UFC on ABC 5 on June 24". MMAjunkie.com. Archived from the original on April 22, 2023. Retrieved April 22, 2023.
47. Lee, Alexander K. (2023-06-24). "UFC Jacksonville results: Ilia Topuria puts on complete performance to dominate gutsy Josh Emmett". MMA Fighting. Retrieved 2023-06-24.
48. ^ Matt Erickson (2023-06-24). "UFC on ABC 5 bonuses: Ilia Topuria's 50-42 scorecard helps net extra $50,000". mmajunkie.usatoday.com. Retrieved 2023-06-24.
49. "Alexander Volkanovski vs. Ilia Topuria set for UFC 297 - MMAWeekly.com | UFC and MMA News, Results, Rumors, and Videos". MMAWeekly.com | UFC and MMA News, Results, Rumors, and Videos. Retrieved 2023-10-10.
50. Damon Martin (2023-10-10). "Charles Oliveira out; Alexander Volkanovski now faces Islam Makhachev in UFC 294 main event". mmafighting.com. Retrieved 2023-11-06.
51. Colby Faria (2023-11-06). "Alexander Volkanovski vs. Ilia Topuria Featherweight Title Bout Headlines UFC 298". mmanews.com. Retrieved 2023-11-06.
52. Anderson, Jay (2024-02-18). "UFC 298: Ilia Topuria Wins Featherweight Gold with Thunderous KO of Alexander Volkanovski". Cageside Press. Retrieved 2024-03-23.
53. ^ Dan Hiergesell (2024-02-18). "Bonuses! Ilia Topuria cleans up, banks $50K for title fight KO - UFC 298". mmamania.com. Retrieved 2024-02-18.
54. Josh Evanoff (2024-07-30). "REPORT - Ilia Topuria vs. Max Holloway added to UFC 308 in Abu Dhabi following Islam Makhachev injury". bjpenn.com. Retrieved 2024-07-30.
55. Jay Anderson (2024-10-26). "UFC 308: Ilia Topuria Stops Max Holloway, Retains Title in Explosive Fashion". cagesidepress.com. Retrieved 2024-10-26.
56. ^ Chris Taylor (2024-10-26). "UFC 308 Bonus Report: Ilia Topuria one of five fighters to take home an extra $50k". bjpenn.com. Retrieved 2024-10-26.
57. Thomas Gerbasi (December 22, 2020). "The 10 Best Newcomers of 2020". Ultimate Fighting Championship.
58. Thomas Gerbasi (22 December 2022). "The Knockouts - 2022 UFC.com Awards". Ultimate Fighting Championship.
59. Thomas Gerbasi; E. Spencer Kyte (December 21, 2022). "The Submissions | 2022 UFC.com Awards". Ultimate Fighting Championship.
60. "The Fighters | 2024 UFC.com Awards | UFC". www.ufc.com. 2024-12-20. Retrieved 2024-12-23.
61. "The Knockouts | 2024 UFC.com Awards | UFC". www.ufc.com. 2024-12-18. Retrieved 2024-12-23.
62. Mike Bohn (January 2, 2023). "MMA Junkie's Submission of the Month for December 2022: Ilia Topuria ends Bryce Mitchell's run". MMAjunkie.com. Archived from the original on January 30, 2023. Retrieved January 30, 2023.
63. “ქართული კი არა, ცოტა მეგრულიც ვიცი...“, MCM: 19 February 2024
64. "ქართული რომ არ ვიცოდე მოსაკლავი ვიქნებოდი, ქართველმა კაცმა, ქართული უნდა იცოდეს, ცოტა მეგრულიც ვიცი" - რა უპასუხა ილია თოფურიამ ქართველი გულშემატკივრის შეკითხვას?
65. Ilia Topuria #WithNoe, Imedi Media Holding, Feb 25, 2024
66. E. Spencer Kyte (December 1, 2020). "Ilia Topuria Wants The World To Know His Name". Ultimate Fighting Championship.
67. Sanchez, Josh (2024-10-26). "Ilia Topuria wife Giorgina Uzcategui Badell stuns in all-black dress victory fit". The Athlete Lifestyle On SI. Retrieved 2024-10-27.
68. Álvaro Colmenero (2024-12-20). "Aleksandre Topuria ya tiene fecha y rival para su debut en la UFC" (in Spanish). abc.es. Retrieved 2024-12-21.
69. "Ilia Topuria ya es español: el Gobierno le concede la nacionalidad al campeón de la UFC". Diario ABC (in Spanish). 2024-03-05. Retrieved 2024-03-05.
70. "პრეზიდენტმა ილია თოფურია ღირსების ორდენით დააჯილდოვა". რადიო თავისუფლება (in Georgian). 2024-03-21. Retrieved 2024-03-21.
71. "Ilia Topuria". Sherdog. Retrieved 18 February 2024.
72. "UFC 298: Volkanovski vs. Topuria | MMA Event". Tapology.
73. "UFC 308: Topuria vs. Holloway | MMA Event".

External links

• Professional MMA record for Ilia Topuria from Sherdog
• Ilia Topuria at UFC

v t e Ultimate Fighting Championship current champions
Men's	Heavyweight Jon Jones Tom Aspinall (interim) Light heavyweight Alex Pereira Middleweight Dricus du Plessis Welterweight Belal Muhammad Lightweight Islam Makhachev Featherweight Ilia Topuria Bantamweight Merab Dvalishvili Flyweight Alexandre Pantoja
Women's	Featherweight Vacant Bantamweight Raquel Pennington Flyweight Valentina Shevchenko Strawweight Zhang Weili

v t e UFC Featherweight Rankings
UFC Champion: Ilia Topuria
1. Alexander Volkanovski 2. Max Holloway 3. Diego Lopes 4. Movsar Evloev 5. Yair Rodríguez 6. Brian Ortega 7. Arnold Allen 8. Josh Emmett 9. Aljamain Sterling 10. Calvin Kattar 11. Lerone Murphy 12. Giga Chikadze 13. Bryce Mitchell 14. Dan Ige 15. Edson Barboza
Updated to 10 December 2024

• 1996 births
• Living people
• Male mixed martial artists from Georgia (country)
• Spanish male mixed martial artists
• Featherweight mixed martial artists
• Mixed martial artists utilizing Greco-Roman wrestling
• Mixed martial artists utilizing Brazilian jiu-jitsu
• Emigrants from Georgia (country) to Spain
• Mingrelians
• Sportspeople of Georgian descent
• Ultimate Fighting Championship male fighters
• Spanish practitioners of Brazilian jiu-jitsu
• Brazilian jiu-jitsu practitioners from Georgia (country)
• People awarded a black belt in Brazilian jiu-jitsu
• People from Halle (Westfalen)
• Recipients of the Order of Honor (Georgia)
• Ultimate Fighting Championship champions
• 21st-century Spanish sportsmen