First Round Management’s very own, Ilia Topuria, will be fighting December 5th on Saturday Night’s UFC Fight Night: Hermansson vs. Vettori card. And on a night filled with many of the UFC’s international stars, Topuria will be no different. Fighting out of Alicante spain, by way of The Republic of Georgia, this will be the featherweight’s sophomore appearance in the promotion, and there is a lot to be encouraged about when it comes to his fighting future. In his UFC début, on the UFC Fight Night: Moraes vs. Sandhagen card on October 10 of this year, he beat a highly touted prospect in Youssef Zalal, who entered a valiant account of himself resisting wave after wave of unrelenting incisive ground attacks from Topuria. This fight came not only on short notice, but was also rifed with all sorts of issues pertaining to visas and Co-vid 19 travel restrictions. Taking the fight on eight days notice, Topuria cut weight from 165 pounds to 146 pounds, altogether 19 pounds in four days, and dropped 11 pounds in six hours right before his fight, all to be able to defeat the first opponent of the fight weekend, the scale. As if cutting large amounts of weight in a matter of days, even hours, isn't draining enough on the mind and body, three weeks before his fight, Topuria went head to head against the Co-vid 19 Virus. Barely able to train, he simultaneously convalesced and prepared for the most important fight of his life to date.
Beyond the physical toll fighting takes on a fighter, there are also mental and spiritual punishments that must be borne by those who, like Topuria, have deemed fighting their life’s calling. In order to prepare for his next contest on December 5th, Topuria had to leave his infant baby boy back home in Spain, incidentally, missing his son’s first birthday as he had to prepare for the challenge Damon Jackson will bring. His diet was strict well beyond any sort of comfort. He also Recently became part of a new gym, has learned from new coaches, sparred and drilled with new training partners, and now in Miami, has experienced an entirely different culture than what he is used to back home in Alicante, Spain.
The 23-year-old is now training at MMA Masters in Miami and is undefeated in nine professional fights. Although a grappler, he is far from the “wet blanket ride out till the end” type of fighter. In terms of finishes, he boasts eight in his nine fights. Seven by submission and one via TKO. Constantly looking for the finish, and putting a murderous pace on opponents through ferocious pressure, Topuria’s opponents never get to simply rest on the ground, against the fence, or anywhere inside the cage. The Agoge type of lifestyle in the fight camps for Topuria, ensures that he will have fuel for the entire fight in order to keep attacking viciously with takedowns, submission attempts, and should he want to, high volume striking that also packs Knock-out Power. The fact that he is now under the tutelage of Cesar Carneiro, adds another wrinkle to Topuria’s game, and should he decide to keep the fight standing, we might be treated to a dazzling display of exquisitely violent technique and flair.
For his next fight, the conditions leading up to the big night will be different. This time, Topuria will have a full gas tank, and complete focus on the task at hand. At FRM, we are excited to see what he will show his second time inside the eight-sided cage. Already embraced by the vast spanish speaking Miami community, Topuria has fans all across the globe. An avid polyglot, he is able to connect with many of his fans in their own native languages. A mixed martial artist in every sense, Topuria lives a life of discipline, training, struggle born self growth, honor, class, and elegance. After his bout with Zalal, he climbed down from the ultimate proving ground, embraced his opponent, gave his commiserations, shared words of encouragement along with other words that will remain between the two modern day gladiators, all after having one of the most extreme experiences two men can share in athletic competition. This coming Saturday night of December 5th, Topuria will once again take the sands of today's greatest coliseum, where he will be donning his shorts and fight gloves instead of the traditional sword and shield. People say fighting is “a different ball game,” I hope I may be forgiven for going a bit further in saying: it is not a ball game, not even close.
