Ilia Topuria is one of the most dominant forces in mixed martial arts today. At 28, the undefeated Georgian-Spanish fighter holds two UFC championship titles in the featherweight and lightweight divisions. He now belongs to a rare group of athletes who have conquered multiple weight classes in the modern era of the sport.
Since joining the UFC, Topuria has built an unbroken record, defeating top-ranked opponents with a style that combines knockout power, technical control, and unshakable composure under pressure.
In his most recent bout, Topuria faced Brazil’s Charles Oliveira under the lights of Las Vegas. The fight was over in just over two minutes. Topuria secured a clean first-round finish, once again demonstrating his signature combination of pressure, accuracy, and control.
This victory marks his seventeenth professional win and his ninth consecutive triumph inside the UFC. Each performance seems to build upon the last, reinforcing the idea that Topuria is not just making history but shaping its direction.
He first made global headlines a year and a half earlier when he became the first Georgian fighter to win a UFC title. In that fight, he knocked out Alexander Volkanovski in the second round, capturing the featherweight belt and announcing the beginning of a new era. That moment was not a one-off. It was a clear statement of intent.
“My dream, since I was a kid, was to become a world champion, which I was able to achieve when I became the featherweight world champion. Now, after I won that world title, I defended it. I was like, 'I need something new.' I moved up. Now I will become a two-time world champion in the featherweight, then the lightweight division”
That sense of progression, both technical and mental, defines his approach. After his latest win, Topuria offered a glimpse into the mindset that drives him forward.
“I always said I represent the new generation of mixed martial arts. What does that mean? That means that if you want to become the best fighter in the world, you have to be a complete fighter. You have to be good in your striking game, with your wrestling and with your ground game”
Today, he stands as a two-division champion, carrying both belts and both flags, Georgian and Spanish, with equal pride. His dual identity has become part of his story, but it is his performance inside the octagon that defines him.
Georgia’s presence on the UFC stage continues to grow. On June 8, Merab Dvalishvili successfully defended the bantamweight title against American fighter Sean O’Malley. As of now, Georgian athletes hold two of the eight championship belts in the UFC’s men’s divisions.
Ilia Topuria continues to prove that excellence in this sport is not occasional. For him, it is the standard.
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