Background and career
Ilia Topuria (Georgian: ილია თოფურია; born January 21, 1997) is a Georgian and Spanish professional mixed martial artist. He currently competes in the Lightweight division of the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC). He became the 10th multi-division champion where he is the former UFC Lightweight Champion and Featherweight Champion, becoming the first Georgian and Spanish fighter to win a UFC championship and first undefeated fighter to win UFC championships in two divisions. As of June 16, 2026, he is #1 in the Meta UFC lightweight rankings, and #5 in the UFC men's pound-for-pound rankings. Fight Matrix ranks him in the top 10 featherweights of all time and the top 25 lightweights of all time. Topuria has a 95.2% takedown defense rate being the #2 all-time in UFC Takedown Defense.
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. After the Russo-Georgian War, at the age of 15, they once again relocated, this time to Alicante, Spain. He began training Brazilian jiu-jitsu at Climent gym at the age of 15, before switching over to mixed martial arts. In 2014, Topuria won a silver medal at the IBJJF European 2014 Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu tournament in the juniors category. In 2015, Topuria made his debut as a professional in local competitions.
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 at Cage MMA Finland. In May 2018, 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.
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. 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 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.
In October 2023, Topuria was scheduled to face Alexander Volkanovski on January 20, 2024, for the UFC Featherweight Championship at UFC 297. However, on 10 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. 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 by knockout in the third round, the first knockout loss of Holloway's career. This fight earned him another Performance of the Night award.
Despite rumors of a rematch between Topuria and Volkanovski, on February 19, 2025, it was announced Topuria would vacate his title as soon as the featherweight championship main event at UFC 314 started. UFC president Dana White explained Topuria's unexpected move, citing difficulties cutting weight, a lack of interest in the division's competition, and a desire to move up to lightweight permanently.
