Ilia Topuria is a Mixed Martial Artist of Georgian and Spanish descent. He currently competes in the Lightweight and Featherweight divisions of the UFC. The fighter has won 2 Performance of the Night Awards since 2022.
He has a brother that is also a Mixed Martial Artist and together they have Black Belts in Jiu-Jitsu.
He is in a relationship with an entrepreneur named Georgia Uzcategui Badell whom he flaunts on his Instagram page.
10 Facts About the Georgian and Spanish MMA Fighter
1. Brief Bio of Ilia Topuria
Ilia was born Ilia Topuria on January 21, 1997 in Halle Westfalen, Germany. He is nicknamed El Matador and started practicing wrestling at the age of 7. It was at this age that his parents moved him and the entire family to Georgia and he was exposed to Greco-Roman wrestling.
He has a brother named Alex Topuria with whom he shares a love for MMA and a close relationship.
2. He has a Black Belt in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu
Ilia and his brother both have black belts in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu. They earned the belts in 2018 and were named the first Georgians black belters.
3. Ilia’s Career Started At the Age of 7
As already stated, El Matador’s love for MMA started at the age of 7 when he learned wrestling. When he was 15 years old, he moved once again from Georgia to Spain. Basing in Alicante, Ilia began his MMA career at the Climent Club.
He began fighting off experiences gathered from time spent at the club. By 2015, he made his professional debut in local Spanish fights. Ilia won all 4 of his early fights on submissions
4. His First International Fight was in 2018
In the same year Ilia Topuria won the title of First Georgian Black Belter, he began his early career. His first fight on the International scene was in the Cage MMA Finland.
The next year, Ilia signed with Brave Combat Federation and he fought against Luis Gomez. He defeated Gomez in the first round submission and earned him the award for the Best Performance of the Night.
5. Topuria’s UFC Debut
On October 11, 2020, Ilia fought against Youssef Zalal who was a replacement for Seung Woo Choi. This was his UFC debut fight and he won it by a unanimous decision. On the other hand, Zalal was dealt his very first loss in the UFC.
He went on to fight other MMA fighters such as Damon Jackson, Ryan Hall, Jai Herbert, and Bryce Mitchell. The last was one of the toughest matches he was predicted to fight.
Ilia Topuria is now seen as the national face of the UFC and eyes the World Championship. With a 13-0 win as of June 23, 2023, the Spaniard is considered a formidable force in the organization.
6. He has Won 2 Performance of the Night Awards
After his last fights against Jai Herbert and Bryce Mitchell, Ilia earned 2 separate Performance of the Night Awards. He, and other winners of the matches those nights went home with $50,000 each for each time.
His win against Bryce was the first professional loss Mitchell faced. The fight ended in a second-round submission.
7. He is Signed to Climent Boxing
Since joining the Climent club at the age of 15, Ilia has remained a steadfast member of the team. Under the tutelage and coaching of Jorge and Agustin Climent, the former Bantamweight fighter won his Black Belt in BJJ as well as all his fights.
He has been part of the Club since 2012 to date.
8. Ilia Topuria is in a Relationship
The Georgian and Spanish Featherweight MMA fighter is in a relationship. He has posted pictures of him and the lady on his social media account.
The name of the woman is Georgia Uzcategui Badell, an entrepreneur, according to her Instagram bio. She is a huge fitness and health enthusiast and she focuses on that.
Topuria posted images with a young boy who he calls his little prince. It isn’t certain if he is his son nor is it known if Georgia is the mother of the boy.
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9. The MMA Fighter Was Involved in a Bar Brawl
At the beginning of 2023, a short video began circulating on social media. In the clip was the Spaniard being dragged into an altercation with an un-faced man.
While Ilia tried to avoid any form of encounter with the man, he was shoved twice and eventually got into a fight. Well, the man took most of the punches after shoving the MMA fighter.
10. Ilia Topuria’s Height and Weight
El Matador also known as Ilia Topuria stands at a height of 5 feet and 7 inches. He weighs about 66kg (145 lbs) and a reach of 69 inches.
His fighting stance is Orthodox and this affords him a significant striking accuracy of 49%.
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