Ilia Topuria

Ilia Topuria (born January 21, 1997) is a German-born Georgian mixed martial artist who competes in the Featherweight division of the Ultimate Fighting Championship.

Background

Ilia was born in Halle Westfalen, Germany to Georgian parents. At the age of seven he moved to Georgia with his family where he started practicing Greco-Roman wrestling at school. At the age of 15 he moved 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.

Mixed martial arts career

After starting his career with 4 straight submission wins on the Spanish regional scene and winning a belt in Mix Fight Events promotion, In 2018 he made 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 debut in the promotion in Bogota, Colombia, defeating opponent Luis Gomez in the first round by submission; which leads him to get the award for best performance of the night. On November 15, 2019, in Bahrain, he wins 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 reason and he 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 is scheduled to face Jai Herbert, replacing Mike Davis, on March 19, 2022 at UFC Fight Night 204.

Championships and accomplishments:

Mixed martial arts

Mix Fight Events

MFE Featherweight Championship (One time)

Mixed martial arts record:

Professional record breakdown

11 matches 11 wins 0 losses