Tag: ilia topuria

UFC Champion Ilia Topuria Backs Georgian Protesters “This is not freedom.”

Ilia Topuria Backs Georgian ProtestersUFC champion Ilia Topuria has publicly voiced his approval for the ongoing protests in Georgia, which erupted following the…

Ilia Topuria Backs Georgian Protesters

UFC champion Ilia Topuria has publicly voiced his approval for the ongoing protests in Georgia, which erupted following the government’s decision to suspend its efforts to join the European Union. Topuria, who is of Georgian descent, expressed his opposition to this decision on Instagram.

Ilia Topuria Backs Georgian Protesters

The protests began on November 28, 2024, after the ruling Georgian Dream party announced that it would halt EU accession talks until at least 2028. This decision has been met with widespread disapproval from many Georgians who view EU membership as a crucial step for the country’s development and alignment with Western values.

The demonstrations have been marked by significant unrest, with protesters clashing with police forces using tear gas and water cannons to disperse crowds. Reports indicate that over 200 people have been arrested, and many have been injured during these confrontations.

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The situation in Georgia is a reflection of broader political tensions. Critics are accusing the government of drifting towards authoritarianism and closer ties with Russia, contrary to the pro-European aspirations of many citizens. The protests have drawn international attention and condemnation, particularly regarding the aggressive police response.

On an Instagram story, Ilia Topuria said:

“My clear support for those protesters who defend our rights. I oppose the decision to suspend our accession negotiations to the European Union. It is shameful to see how the children of Georgia are being treated. This is not freedom. We want the best future for our country. It is necessary to continue our path towards Europe because this is an opportunity for progress for all citizens. Together, we must fight for a democratic and free Georgia.”

Earlier this year, the undefeated Ilia Topuria captured the UFC featherweight title with a knockout over the top-ranked pound-for-pound fighter Alexander Volkanovski. ‘El Matador’ then defended his title against all-time great Max Holloway via knockout.

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Ilia Topuria Slams Former Idol Conor McGregor: ‘He Represents Alcohol and Drugs, Not Sport’

Ilia Topuria Slams Former Idol Conor McGregor : ‘He Represents Alcohol and Drugs, Not Sport’El Matador’ Ilia Topuria grew up being inspired by Conor McGregor. But no longer. After being found guilty of…

Ilia Topuria Slams Former Idol Conor McGregor : ‘He Represents Alcohol and Drugs, Not Sport’

El Matador’ Ilia Topuria grew up being inspired by Conor McGregor. But no longer. After being found guilty of sexual assault, the Georgian-Spanish Topuria is leaving his idol behind. Topuria now condemns the fallen star for betraying the values that once defined him.

Ilia Topuria Slams Former Idol Conor McGregor

Ilia Topuria had an outstanding 2024. The skilled striker was able to capture the UFC featherweight crown by way of knockout against the top-ranked pound-for-pound athlete Alexander Volkanovski. In his first defense, he knocked out all-time great Max Holloway.

Max Holloway
Image via: Zuffa LLC

While he was a young man, ‘El Matador’ was inspired by Conor Mcgregor’s story. Coming from poverty and building himself into a two-division UFC champion. Recently, the Irish athlete was found guilty of sexual assault. Combined with several other accusations, as he is constantly in hot water with the law, Topuria has outgrown his hero. While working out, he explained:

“I know he’s not what he was. He is a McGregor who represents alcohol and drugs more than sport. I was inspired by Conor. He was an inspiration for me when I was young. Myself and a lot of other people I know wanted to follow in his footsteps because he was an example of faith that everything can be achieved through hard work, consistency, and effort. And he lost all of that because he betrayed the values that led him to his success.”

Topuria has publicly denounced his former idol, Conor McGregor. His former hero abandoned the principles of hard work that initially made him an icon.

Conor McGregor loses civil rape case against Nikita Hand, jury awards nearly €250k in damages
Conor McGregor loses civil rape case against Nikita Hand, jury awards nearly €250k in damages

Diego Lopes Invites Ilia Topuria To Repeat Point Down Against Him: ‘I Will Plant My Feet & Throw Down’ 

UFC featherweight contender Diego Lopes insists he won’t shy away from a firefight should Ilia Topuria repeat his point-and-throw invitation against him down the line. Lopes has been staking his claim for the next shot at unseating Topuria from the 145-pound throne since “El Matador” got the better of Max Holloway in brutal fashion last […]

Continue Reading Diego Lopes Invites Ilia Topuria To Repeat Point Down Against Him: ‘I Will Plant My Feet & Throw Down’  at MMA News.

UFC featherweight contender Diego Lopes insists he won’t shy away from a firefight should Ilia Topuria repeat his point-and-throw invitation against him down the line.

Lopes has been staking his claim for the next shot at unseating Topuria from the 145-pound throne since “El Matador” got the better of Max Holloway in brutal fashion last month in Abu Dhabi.

The Mexico-based Brazilian was cageside for UFC 308 after weighing in as backup fighter for the championship main event. That fact, coupled with his triumph over Brian Ortega at the Sphere this past September, has put Lopes in prime position for a first shot at gold.

And should he get the chance to blemish Topuria’s perfect record in 2025, the #3-ranked contender has called on the Spaniard to repeat how he started the Holloway fight.

During a recent interview with MMA Junkie, Lopes welcomed an early brawl with Topuria, who made good on his promise to point down and offer to throw the kitchen sink at “Blessed” in the opening 10 seconds.

Holloway didn’t stray from his plan to dismiss that, but Lopes claims he’d do the exact opposite.

“Definitely, definitely, definitely,” Lopes said in Spanish when asked if he’d throw down with Topuria. “I’m telling you, I respect everyone, but I’m not afraid of anyone. If there’s anything I don’t have, it’s fear. I think I’ve shown that in all my fights. I’ve shown that I’m not afraid of anyone.

“As many times as he wants to point to the ground, I will plant my feet in the middle of the cage and throw down. It’s that easy,” he added.

To make good on those comments, Lopes will seemingly first have to either convince the UFC higher-ups of the merits of selecting him to face Topuria next over Volkanovski or add another win to his current run.

Following the champ’s successful defense in the Middle East, UFC CEO Dana White pointed to Volkanovski as Topuria’s likely next opponent owing to his stint as kingpin prior to running into “El Matador” this past February.

Continue Reading Diego Lopes Invites Ilia Topuria To Repeat Point Down Against Him: ‘I Will Plant My Feet & Throw Down’  at MMA News.

Chael Sonnen Suggests Sean O’Malley Could Challenge Ilia Topuria In UFC Return: ‘It’s Not A Crazy Idea!’

Former UFC title challenger Chael Sonnen sees no reason why the promotion couldn’t pair featherweight kingpin Ilia Topuria with Sean O’Malley next year. O’Malley ignited talk of pursuing two-division glory following Topuria’s rise to the 145-pound throne at the start of 2024. At the time, “Suga” occupied top spot in the bantamweight division and would […]

Continue Reading Chael Sonnen Suggests Sean O’Malley Could Challenge Ilia Topuria In UFC Return: ‘It’s Not A Crazy Idea!’ at MMA News.

Former UFC title challenger Chael Sonnen sees no reason why the promotion couldn’t pair featherweight kingpin Ilia Topuria with Sean O’Malley next year.

O’Malley ignited talk of pursuing two-division glory following Topuria’s rise to the 145-pound throne at the start of 2024. At the time, “Suga” occupied top spot in the bantamweight division and would soon add a successful defense to his reign at the expense of Marlon Vera.

With work still to do in his own weight class, O’Malley instead met the challenge of Merab Dvalishvili. The Georgian proved to be an insurmountable hurdle for the Montana native inside the Sphere in September, where “The Machine” cruised to a title crowning.

With that, a possible superfight with “El Matador” appeared to take some damage. But despite O’Malley putting his sights on redemption against Dvalishvili and a second stint with 135-pound gold in his possession, Sonnen has questioned why Topuria is now out of the question.

During a video recently uploaded to his YouTube channel, “The American Gangster” pointed out that Alex Pereira’s rise to a second title was made possible by his knockout loss to Israel Adesanya.

Believing it to be easier to move up without a title, Sonnen doesn’t see a clash between Topuria and bantamweight contender O’Malley in 2025 to be a “crazy” idea.

“One of the big talking points this week is what could have been. What could have been with a superfight between Sean O’Malley and Ilia Topuria, how massive that could have been,” Sonnen said. “The thing holding up a superfight between Topuria and Sean O’Malley is not Merab or Merab getting a decision over Sean or Sean not being the champion. It is none of those things. That is not true. Had Sean won, he and Ilia Topuria would not be fighting. They had not cleaned out their divisions, respectively.

“If I’m right, but you’re also right in that that’s the massive fight, we can now make it and we can make it right now. The thing in the way of it (was) Sean being the champion at 135. They can now do that fight,” Sonnen continued. “The quickest way you’re ever gonna get Pereira vs. (Tom) Aspinall or Pereira vs. (Jon) Jones…(is) if Pereira is to lose at light heavyweight. That is how we got Pereira to the 205-pound class to start with. … It’s not a crazy idea. … What if he (O’Malley) did take 10 or 12 months? 10 or 12 months to put on some size and he comes right up and challenges Ilia Topuria.”

It remains to be seen whether O’Malley or the promotion may have the same idea as Sonnen down the line. For now, it appears that “Suga” is intent on avenging his loss to Dvalishvili once healed from the surgery he underwent to repair a torn labrum last month.

Topuria, meanwhile, appears likely to run it back with Alexander Volkanovski next year after getting past Max Holloway in his first defense in October.

Continue Reading Chael Sonnen Suggests Sean O’Malley Could Challenge Ilia Topuria In UFC Return: ‘It’s Not A Crazy Idea!’ at MMA News.

Daily Street Fights: Ilia Topuria’s Mother Reveals His Unruly Past Defending Himself on Georgia’s Streets

Daily Street Fights: Ilia Topuria’s Mother Reveals His Unruly Past Defending Himself on Georgia's StreetsEl Matador’ Ilia Topuria, the UFC featherweight world champion, carved his toughness through daily street fights in his hometown,…

Daily Street Fights: Ilia Topuria’s Mother Reveals His Unruly Past Defending Himself on Georgia's Streets

El Matador’ Ilia Topuria, the UFC featherweight world champion, carved his toughness through daily street fights in his hometown, according to a book by his mother.

Ilia Topuria and Street Fighting

The Spanish-Georgian Ilia Topuria captured the UFC featherweight crown with a highly impressive knockout against the top-ranked pound-for-pound athlete Alexander ‘The Great’ Volkanovski. He then defended this throne by way of knockout against the all-time great ‘Blessed’ Max Holloway.

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ABU DHABI, UNITED ARAB EMIRATES – OCTOBER 26: Ilia Topuria of Spain reacts after a knockout victory against Max Holloway in the UFC featherweight championship fight during the UFC 308 event at Etihad Arena on October 26, 2024 in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates. (Photo by Chris Unger/Zuffa LLC)

‘El Cazador’ Aleksandre Topuria is the brother of Ilia and is an MMA fighter as well. Their mother Inga recently wrote a book about them and tells a story about their days of street fighting. She said:

“I mentioned fights and this was about street fights. It was not rare, it was a daily routine. Whenever they were in the streets, they were fighting. To imagine – Three boys would appear. They looked like they had just watched “Scarface” movie and didn’t know what to do.

“They would come and tell you that they wanted your hat or your belt. There were three ways – giving up, running away and fighting. There was a fourth one – finding a mutual friend, but this fourth one was a bit difficult, so Ilia and Sandro always prefered to fight and surprisingly, at the end of the day, they always had a hat and a belt.

“It was not about the things, it was about to secure/defend their place in the streets. It’s where they realized that the way to their biggest (Championship) belts started with keeping their own, ordinary belts in the streets of Rustavi.”

The family grew up in Rustavi, Georgia which was destroyed during the Mongol invasions in the 13th century and remained largely abandoned until the 20th century. The modern city of Rustavi was rebuilt in the 1940s with industrialization efforts. It has faced significant economic challenges after the collapse of the Soviet Union

Volkanovski’s Coach: Ilia Topuria Doesn’t Have ‘The Right’ To Go For Second Title Yet

The coach of Alexander Volkanovski believes UFC Featherweight Champion Ilia Topuria hasn’t yet earned a chance to add the lightweight belt to his collection. Topuria has risen to the 145-pound mountaintop in brutal fashion this year, first knocking out Volkanovski to capture the crown at UFC 298 in Anaheim this past February. Eight months later, […]

Continue Reading Volkanovski’s Coach: Ilia Topuria Doesn’t Have ‘The Right’ To Go For Second Title Yet at MMA News.

The coach of Alexander Volkanovski believes UFC Featherweight Champion Ilia Topuria hasn’t yet earned a chance to add the lightweight belt to his collection.

Topuria has risen to the 145-pound mountaintop in brutal fashion this year, first knocking out Volkanovski to capture the crown at UFC 298 in Anaheim this past February.

Eight months later, “El Matador” cemented his grip on the title by becoming the first man to stop the great Max Holloway with strikes. Topuria achieved that feat in the main event of last month’s UFC 308 pay-per-view in Abu Dhabi, closing the show with a vicious left hook in round three.

The Spaniard is quickly building a strong legacy at featherweight, and at the age of just 27, he has plenty of time to achieve his goal of surpassing the champs that came before him in the division.

Topuria, however, appears to already have one eye on conquering another weight class. Even before he added Holloway’s name and a first defense to his résumé, the fast-rising star outlined his plans to dethrone lightweight kingpin Islam Makhachev.

In addition to going back and forth with the Dagestani on social media, Topuria has even vowed to beat Makhachev at his own game by becoming the first to submit him.

One man who is certainly familiar with the lightweight champ, however, has told Topuria to hold his horses…

During a recent appearance on Submission Radio, coach Joe Lopez reacted to Topuria’s talk of a move up in weight. Volkanovski’s trainer insisted that “El Matador” remains far from having earned the right to challenge the titleholder above him.

“That’s great (Topuria wanting Makhachev), but you’ve gotta have — like with anybody, you’ve gotta have at least five or six title defenses before you start looking at doubling up,” Lopez said. “You’re just holding up divisions. When you’ve cleaned out a division, then you’ve got the right to jump up a division. Until then, you’ve just gotta fight the cause in your division, you know?

“I guess it’s like jumping the queue and you want to have the title shot before somebody else that’s above you, you know? But it’s just human nature, I guess,” Lopez continued. “Everybody wants that double champ status ’cause it’s very rare to get.”

Volkanovski himself recorded four successful defenses before his first opportunity to add a second title to his trophy cabinet in 2023. A fifth then came ahead of a sophomore chance at unseating Makhachev on short notice that same year.

With that in mind, it would appear Topuria has some work to do before looking to prove his confidence correct when it comes to outgrappling Makhachev inside the cage.

Continue Reading Volkanovski’s Coach: Ilia Topuria Doesn’t Have ‘The Right’ To Go For Second Title Yet at MMA News.