Ilia Topuria He has a track record that many legends of their respective sports would like. Few, if not almost no one, can count their competitions by victories. Hispanic-Georgian has increased a little more his legend after knocking down the Australian Aleksander Volkanovskiin the UFC 298 eveningand become featherweight champion.
It all started in 2015. After practicing Greco-Roman wrestling before arriving in Spain, he understood that his path (and that of his brother Aleksandre) was to enter the octagon. Little by little he shone in the fights in which he practiced, until he reached the point where he is right now, on the verge of winning a championship belt.
Its balance is undeniably good: 15 wins, 0 losses and 0 void fights. Of them, 8 have been by submission, 5 by KO and 2 by technical decision of the judges.
Ilia Topuria vs. Francisco Javier Asprilla
The first featherweight fight as a professional was in West Coast Warriors eventon April 4, 2015, in Valencia. Topuria’s professional debut was impeccable, with a key submission 3 and a half minutes into the fight.
Ilia Topuria vs. Kalil Martin
Barely a month later, on May 9, 2015, in the Climent Club where he has his ‘home’, Topuria defeated Kalil Martin in just one minute, with a submission thanks to a quick ‘rear naked choke’.
Ilia Topuria vs. Daniel Vasquez
In a Mix Fights Events event in 2016, in which a weight limit of 141 pounds (63.95 kilos) was agreed upon, less than the featherweight, Ilia Topuria demonstrated her versatility. Daniel Vasquez He succumbed with the same key as Martin. It lasted just under two minutes.
Ilia Topuria vs. John Guarin
In the fourth professional fight, the Hispanic-Colombian John Guarin He put Ilia Topuria on the ropes. After winning the previous ones in the first round, it was much more difficult to beat him in this one. At almost three minutes, Guarin succumbed to a critical choke and Topuria won the MBE featherweight title.
Ilia Topuria vs. Mika Hamalainen
In his debut in bantamweight He faced the Finn Mika Hamalainen, in a tough fight in Helsinki for which he spent almost two years preparing.
Ilia Topuria vs. Brian Bouland
By not making weight, Ilia Topuria could not aspire to the bantamweight title. His victory over the Belgian Brian Bouland It helped him expand his record and earn the respect of judges and the public, but not the belt. The way he ‘put Bouland to sleep’ is still remembered years later.
Ilia Topuria vs. Luis Gomez
In Bogotá we lived Ilia Topuria’s return to featherweighthis natural weight, and the local Luis Gómez gave up in what was the first time that the Hispanic-Georgian starred in the event of the night.
Ilia Topuria vs. Steven Goncalves
The first victory by KOwith a memorable punch, from Ilia Topuria’s professional career. That fight, in November 2019, took place in Bahrain.
Ilia Topuria vs. Youssef Zalal
He Topuria debut in the UFC It almost ended in disaster. The Moroccan Youssef Zalal made things very complicated for him, but in the end, in a unanimous decision by the judges, ‘Matador’ took the victory.
Ilia Topuria vs. Damon Jackson
He second fight in the UFCalready in Las Vegas, showed the world that Topuria with gloves is very difficult to win. Forceful KO against Damon Jackson that gave him his tenth professional victory.
Ilia Topuria vs. Ryan Hall
A concatenation of accurate blows allowed Ilia Topuria to win at UFC 264 against Ryan Hall. Dana White already had the Hispanic-Georgian well placed at this time, in mid-2021.
Ilia Topuria vs. Jay Herbert
Ilia Topuria’s first and only professional fight at lightweight. The British Jai Herbert succumbed by KO in the second round of a close fight.
Ilia Topuria vs. Bryce Mitchell
The second performance of the night was against Bryce Mitchell who experienced how Topuria left him without victory due to a strangulation.
Ilia Topuria vs. Josh Emmett
The only fight of 2023 and the one that earned him confirmation from Dana White that he would be able to fight for the title. Josh Emmett succumbed by unanimous decision of the judges and elevated Topuria to the category of candidate for the featherweight champion title.
Ilia Topuria vs. Aleksander Volkanovski
With a spectacular combo at the beginning of the second roundIlia Topuria was proclaimed featherweight world champion and sent the legendary Aleksander Volkanovski to sleep. A fight for history that currently places his record at 15 victories.
It remains to be seen if he can maintain that full strength, since he has four fights ahead of him, the next one against Max Holloway and, predictably, against Conor McGregor.
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