Ilia Topuria

Ilia Topuria (ილია თოფურია; born January 21, 1997) is a Georgian and Spanish professional mixed martial artist. He currently competes in the Featherweight division in the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC), where he is the current UFC Featherweight Champion. As of February 20, 2024, he is #5 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.

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.

Mixed martial arts

 * Ultimate Fighting Championship
 * UFC Featherweight Championship (One time, current)
 * Performance of the Night (Three times) vs. Jai Herbert, Bryce Mitchell, and Alexander Volkanovski
 * Fight of the Night (One Time) vs. Josh Emmett
 * 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).

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

On March 21, 2024, Topuria has been awarded the Order of Honor by the President of Georgia in Orbeliani Palace, Tbilisi, Georgia.