Ilia Topuria

Topuria was born in Halle, Germany, to Georgian parents who had been refugees from Abkhazia. He moved with his family to Georgia at seven, where he began Greco-Roman wrestling at school, and relocated to Alicante, Spain, at 15 after the Russo-Georgian War.

In Alicante, Topuria trained at Climent Club and began Brazilian jiu-jitsu before moving into mixed martial arts. He and his brother Aleksandre Topuria became the first Georgian black belts in Brazilian jiu-jitsu in 2018. Aleksandre, also a mixed martial artist, made his UFC debut in 2025.

Topuria is fluent in Georgian, Spanish and English, and also speaks some Mingrelian. He became a Spanish citizen in March 2024 while retaining Georgian citizenship, and he was awarded Georgia's Order of Honor later that month.

Topuria made his professional MMA debut in Spanish local promotions in 2015. He opened his career with four straight submission victories and won the Mix Fight Events Featherweight Championship. In 2018, he moved into international competition and won a Cage Warriors bout against Brian Bouland by technical submission, although he missed weight and was ineligible to receive the vacant bantamweight title.

Topuria joined Brave Combat Federation in 2019. He submitted Luis Gomez in the first round in Bogotá and then knocked out Steven Goncalves in the first round in Bahrain. The Gomez victory earned him a performance award.

He entered the UFC in October 2020 on short notice against Youssef Zalal and won by unanimous decision. He followed that result with first-round knockout victories over Damon Jackson and Ryan Hall, establishing a 10-0 professional record before his next UFC fights.

Topuria defeated Jai Herbert by second-round knockout at UFC Fight Night 204 after surviving a first-round knockdown. He then submitted Bryce Mitchell with an arm-triangle choke at UFC 282 and defeated Josh Emmett by unanimous decision in the main event of UFC on ABC 5. The Emmett fight earned Fight of the Night honors, while the Herbert and Mitchell victories earned Performance of the Night awards.

At UFC 298 in February 2024, Topuria knocked out Alexander Volkanovski in the second round to win the UFC Featherweight Championship. The victory ended Volkanovski's four-year reign and made Topuria the first Georgian and Spanish UFC champion.

Topuria defended the featherweight title against Max Holloway at UFC 308, winning by third-round knockout. The result marked the first knockout loss of Holloway's career. Topuria later vacated the featherweight championship after deciding to move permanently to lightweight, with difficulty making featherweight a stated factor.

Topuria fought Charles Oliveira for the vacant UFC Lightweight Championship at UFC 317 in June 2025. He won by first-round knockout, becoming the tenth multi-division champion in UFC history and the first UFC two-division champion to achieve the feat while undefeated at that point.

His MMA foundation is Brazilian jiu-jitsu, but he developed a boxing-centered striking game after entering the UFC. His approach emphasizes precise shot selection, combinations, footwork and positioning, along with defensive techniques such as the shoulder roll. He has identified Mexican boxing, particularly Canelo Álvarez's style, as an influence.

Topuria lost the lightweight championship to Justin Gaethje by fourth-round technical knockout at UFC Freedom 250 in June 2026. The fight was recognized with Fight of the Night honors and marked the first loss of Topuria's professional MMA career.

The nickname "El Matador" originated at Topuria's former gym, where it reflected his precise, calculating and powerful style in the octagon. He initially did not identify with the name, but later adopted it as part of his public identity and connection to his Spanish roots.