Georgian and Spanish mixed martial artist (born 1997)
Ilia Topuria (Georgian : ილია თოფურია ;[ 6] born January 21, 1997) is a Georgian[ 7] and Spanish[ 8] 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 both the first Georgian and Spanish fighter to win a UFC championship. As of July 30, 2024, he is #4 in the UFC men's pound-for-pound rankings .[ 9]
Topuria was born in Halle Westfalen , Germany[ 10] [ 11] [ 12] [ 13] to Georgian parents who were refugees from Abkhazia .[ 5] [ 14]
At the age of seven, Topuria moved to Georgia with his family and started practicing Greco-Roman wrestling at a local school.[ 5] At the age of 15, he again relocated to live in Alicante in Spain, where he started practicing martial arts at the Climent Club.[ 15] In 2015, he made his debut as a professional in local competitions.[ 16] [ 5] Topuria has an older brother, Aleksandre, who is also a professional mixed martial artist signed to the UFC.[ 17]
Mixed martial arts career [ edit ]
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.[ 18] 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.[ 19]
In 2019 he signed with Brave Combat Federation . Ilia made his promotional debut in Bogotá, Colombia ,[ 20] defeating Luis Gomez in the first round by submission;[ 21] which earned him the award for best performance of the night.[ 22] On November 15, 2019, in Bahrain, he won his second fight in BRAVE by defeating Steven Goncalves by KO in the first round.[ 23] [ 24]
Ultimate Fighting Championship [ edit ]
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 .[ 25] Topuria won the fight via unanimous decision.[ 26]
Topuria faced Damon Jackson on December 5, 2020, at UFC on ESPN: Hermansson vs. Vettori .[ 27] He won the fight via knockout in round one.[ 28]
Topuria faced Ryan Hall on July 10, 2021, at UFC 264 .[ 29] He won the fight via knockout in round one.[ 30]
Topuria was scheduled to face Movsar Evloev on January 22, 2022, at UFC 270 .[ 31] However, Evloev withdrew from the bout for undisclosed reasons and [ 32] was replaced by Charles Jourdain .[ 33] However, Topuria was pulled from the card due to a medical issue related to cutting weight and the bout was cancelled.[ 34]
Topuria faced Jai Herbert , replacing Mike Davis , on March 19, 2022, at UFC Fight Night 204 .[ 35] Topuria suffered a knockdown from a head kick in round one, but recovered and won the fight via knockout in round two.[ 36] With this win, he received the Performance of the Night award.[ 37]
Topuria was scheduled to face Edson Barboza on October 29, 2022, at UFC Fight Night 213 .[ 38] 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 .[ 39] He won the fight via submission in round two.[ 40] This win earned him the Performance of the Night award.[ 41]
Topuria was initially scheduled to face Josh Emmett on June 17, 2023, at UFC on ESPN 47 .[ 42] However, the promotion later announced that the bout was shifted to headline UFC on ABC: Emmett vs. Topuria on June 24, 2023.[ 43] He won the fight via unanimous decision.[ 44] The bout earned him the Fight of the Night award.[ 45]
UFC Featherweight Champion [ edit ]
In October 2023, Topuria was scheduled to face Alexander Volkanovski on January 20, 2024, for the UFC Featherweight Championship at UFC 297 .[ 46] 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.[ 47] As a result, Topuria vs. Volkanovski was pushed back one month to headline UFC 298 on February 17, 2024.[ 48] Topuria won the featherweight championship via knockout in the second round, ending Volkanovski's four-year reign as champion.[ 49] This fight earned him the Performance of the Night award.[ 50]
Topuria is scheduled to defend his UFC Featherweight Championship against former champion Max Holloway on October 26, 2024 at UFC 308 .[ 51]
Championships and accomplishments [ edit ]
Topuria accepting an award from the President of Georgia at the Orbeliani Palace
Topuria speaks fluent Georgian language and also speaks a bit of Mingrelian .[ 53] [ 54] [ 55] Topuria and his partner have a son (born 2019).[ 56]
On March 5, 2024, Topuria obtained Spanish citizenship after it was announced in the Council of Ministers at press conference.[ 57] [ 58]
On March 21, 2024, Topuria has been awarded the Order of Honor by the President of Georgia in Orbeliani Palace , Tbilisi , Georgia.[ 59] 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.[ 60]
Mixed martial arts record [ edit ]
Professional record breakdown
15 matches
15 wins
0 losses
By knockout
5
0
By submission
8
0
By decision
2
0
Res.
Record
Opponent
Method
Event
Date
Round
Time
Location
Notes
Win
15–0
Alexander Volkanovski
KO (punch)
UFC 298
February 17, 2024
2
3:32
Anaheim , California , United States
Won the UFC Featherweight Championship . Performance of the Night.
Win
14–0
Josh Emmett
Decision (unanimous)
UFC on ABC: Emmett vs. Topuria
June 24, 2023
5
5:00
Jacksonville, Florida , United States
Fight of the Night.
Win
13–0
Bryce Mitchell
Submission (arm-triangle choke)
UFC 282
December 10, 2022
2
3:10
Las Vegas, Nevada , United States
Return to Featherweight. Performance of the Night.
Win
12–0
Jai Herbert
KO (punches)
UFC Fight Night: Volkov vs. Aspinall
March 19, 2022
2
1:07
London , England
Lightweight debut. Performance of the Night.
Win
11–0
Ryan Hall
KO (punches)
UFC 264
July 10, 2021
1
4:47
Las Vegas, Nevada , United States
Win
10–0
Damon Jackson
KO (punch)
UFC on ESPN: Hermansson vs. Vettori
December 5, 2020
1
2:38
Las Vegas, Nevada , United States
Win
9–0
Youssef Zalal
Decision (unanimous)
UFC Fight Night: Moraes vs. Sandhagen
October 11, 2020
3
5:00
Abu Dhabi , United Arab Emirates
Win
8–0
Stephen Goncalves
KO (punches)
Brave CF 29
November 15, 2019
1
3:42
Isa Town , Bahrain
Win
7–0
Luis Gomez
Submission (triangle straight armbar)
Brave CF 26
September 7, 2019
1
1:15
Bogotá , Colombia
Return to Featherweight.
Win
6–0
Brian Bouland
Technical Submission (anaconda choke)
Cage Warriors 94
June 16, 2018
1
1:39
Antwerp , Belgium
For the vacant Cage Warriors Bantamweight Championship ; Topuria missed weight (139.4 lb) and was ineligible to win the title.
Win
5–0
Mika Hämäläinen
Submission (guillotine choke)
CAGE 43
April 28, 2018
1
3:35
Helsinki , Finland
Bantamweight debut.
Win
4–0
Jhon Guarin
Submission (guillotine choke)
Mix Fight Events 28
November 5, 2016
2
2:50
Valencia , Spain
Won the vacant MFE Featherweight Championship.
Win
3–0
Daniel Vasquez
Submission (rear-naked choke)
Mix Fight Events 26
May 7, 2016
1
1:50
Alicante , Spain
Catchweight (141 lb) bout.
Win
2–0
Kalil Martin El Chalibi
Submission (rear-naked choke)
Climent Show MMA 4
May 9, 2015
1
1:03
Alicante , Spain
Win
1–0
Francisco Javier Asprilla
Submission (triangle choke)
Mix Fight Events 17
April 4, 2015
1
3:30
Valencia , Spain
Featherweight debut.
[ 61]
^ "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 )
^ "El Gobierno concede la nacionalidad española a Ilia Topuria" . El Español (in Spanish). 2024-03-05. Retrieved 2024-03-05 .
^ "Stats | UFC" . ufcstats.com . Archived from the original on 28 January 2021. Retrieved 22 February 2021 .
^ a b 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 .
^ a b c d 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.
^ 3.25.21 UFC-ში ილია თოფურიას მომდევნო მეტოქე ცნობილია Archived 2022-07-05 at the Wayback Machine Imedi Media Holding
^ "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 )
^ "El Gobierno concede la nacionalidad española a Ilia Topuria" . El Español (in Spanish). 2024-03-05. Retrieved 2024-03-05 .
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^ Gonzalo Campos MMA (4 June 2018), MMA On The Road - Ilia Topuria , archived from the original on 2021-07-09, retrieved 2021-07-10
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^ a b 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 .
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^ a b Dan Hiergesell (2024-02-18). "Bonuses! Ilia Topuria cleans up, banks $50K for title fight KO - UFC 298" . mmamania.com. Retrieved 2024-02-18 .
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^ 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 .
^ “ქართული კი არა, ცოტა მეგრულიც ვიცი...“ , MCM: 19 February 2024
^ "ქართული რომ არ ვიცოდე მოსაკლავი ვიქნებოდი, ქართველმა კაცმა, ქართული უნდა იცოდეს, ცოტა მეგრულიც ვიცი" - რა უპასუხა ილია თოფურიამ ქართველი გულშემატკივრის შეკითხვას?
^ Ilia Topuria #WithNoe , Imedi Media Holding , Feb 25, 2024
^ E. Spencer Kyte (December 1, 2020). "Ilia Topuria Wants The World To Know His Name" . Ultimate Fighting Championship .
^ "El Gobierno concede la nacionalidad española a Ilia Topuria" . El Español (in Spanish). 2024-03-05. Retrieved 2024-03-05 .
^ "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 .
^ "პრეზიდენტმა ილია თოფურია ღირსების ორდენით დააჯილდოვა" . რადიო თავისუფლება (in Georgian). 2024-03-21. Retrieved 2024-03-21 .
^ "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 )
^ "Ilia Topuria" . Sherdog . Retrieved 18 February 2024 .
^ "UFC 298: Volkanovski vs. Topuria | MMA Event" . Tapology .
Updated to 17 September 2024
Updated to 1 October 2024