The UFC is constantly in search of fighters with superstar potential. Just a handful of years ago, the roster was littered with them: Ronda Rousey, Khabib Nurmagomedov, Jon Jones, Conor McGregor and more. Now, if you look at the pound-for-pound list, it’s full of lesser-known mixed martial artists very early in their title reigns or with recent blemishes on their record.
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Ilia Topuria, a Spanish fighter with sky high confidence and the skills to back it up, is seen within the sport as someone with the potential to finally break through. At 14-0 with dominant victories over the likes of Josh Emmett, Bryce Mitchell and Ryan Hall, Topuria is a lethal and precise striker that also possesses a strong ground game. It’ll all be tested by arguably the best fighter in the world on Saturday when he takes on featherweight champion Alexander Volkanovski for the belt at UFC 298 in Anaheim, Calif.
The Athletic sat down with Topuria ahead of the highly anticipated title fight for his take on the matchup, what it means to potentially become Spain’s first champion and what lies ahead in 2024.
How has training camp been for this fight?
I had a tough training camp, as always. It wasn’t the toughest training camp I’ve ever had, but it was the most professional training camp I ever had. We’re ready and prepared to get what’s mine.
This fight was originally supposed to be last month before Alex was knocked out by Islam Makhachev in October. Did anything for you change because of that?
We were supposed to fight in January in Canada but because of the issue he had in the last fight with Islam, they moved it one more month. He was lucky to hold the belt one more month.
It was a little bit better for my weight cut, to be honest. The weight cut is going great. We did a really professional job.
Can you talk a bit about your upbringing? You were born in Georgia but moved to Spain when you were a kid?
I’m originally from Georgia because my parents are from Georgia. But I grew up in Spain since I was 15 years old. And now I’m 27.
As a professional, my development was in Spain. Right now my family is living in Spain. My kids are living in Spain. My wife, my friends. Everything I have in this life is in Spain right now. So you can’t imagine how much I love Spain.
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And you represent both during introductions of fights?
I say both. I say both because I can’t say I just represent Spain. If I get a cut, I have in my veins Georgian blood, you know? And I can’t refute that fact. God brought me to this world as a Georgian. But I grew up in Spain, so I feel that I represent both of the countries.
There has never been a UFC champion from Spain. What would that mean to you?
To be honest, I never had that in my head, thinking I want to be the first UFC world champion from Spain. But the fact that it’s happening makes me feel very happy and with a lot of responsibility. Something that the people have to be very sure of is that they will be really well represented on February 17th.
Spain is obviously a football-crazed country. Do you think a win on Saturday would help do something for the next set of MMA fighters?
It would mean a lot. Right now we have a big, big fan base in Spain. A really big fan base. Before me, they didn’t know anything about the UFC. But right now we have a really big following in Spain. That’s why they are going to take the UFC to Spain because there’s a huge fan base for MMA. And after this fight, even more so.
We have a lot of upcoming fighters from Spain that are going to join the UFC really soon.
For fans who might not have seen you fight before, how would you describe your style?
I consider myself a great mixed martial arts fighter with great boxing, great grappling and wrestling. A lot of flowing. I’m like a fish in the water, you know?
What do you see when you watch Volkanovski fight?
He’s a great fighter. Very well-rounded. He has a lot of experience in big fights but I see myself better than him. I have the advantage everywhere. I’m a better striker, better grappler, better wrestler, smarter than him. I have more IQ. Everything he has is his experience. But I’m very smart inside the cage too.
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He’s been in some huge title fights over the years and you only have 14 professional fights. You don’t see yourself with any disadvantage at all?
It’s never about the amount, it’s about the quality. Even in his prime I would beat him.
The Josh Emmett fight last June was a fantastic bout. How important was that win for you?
Every fight that brought me to this place was very important for me. Every flight was a stone in my way. So the fact that I beat Josh Emmett was very important too. And the way I did it, it was even better that I made him look like a beginner. It looks easy, but go and do it if you can. It’s really tough at this level of competition to make someone look easy. This is where you really see levels.
Especially with someone like Josh who has incredible knockout power.
Crazy power punch. Crazy punch in his right hand, but he wasn’t even able to touch me.
What was the game plan for that one?
The game plan was just to stay patient and calm because I had to respect the fact that he had that right hand. That really dangerous right hand and I had to stay patient all the time and I had to wait for my moment, which I did.
It doesn’t feel like Volkanovski has that same type of power. Would you agree?
No. He doesn’t have the same power as Josh Emmett. It’s a different fight. It’s a different style. He moves a little bit more than Josh Emmett. He wrestles a little bit better. Maybe he kicks more and all those things. But does he have more of a power punch? No way. He does not have more power than him. So that’s where I have more space to work. It’s different when you have someone in front of you that you have to respect that if he connects with that punch, maybe he can put you to sleep.
So you feel like Alex’s lack of power will allow you to be able to take more risks?
Exactly. I can take more risks. Even if he takes me down, which is never going to happen … I challenge him to try to take me down if he can. Even if he takes me down, what is he going to do? He doesn’t have any submissions. He doesn’t have any ground-and-pound. Okay. How many punches are you going to connect on me? I’m going to stand up. How is he going to take me down?
I started with Greco-Roman wrestling when I was eight years old until 15. I’m also a black belt in Brazilian jiu-jitsu. I’m young. I have the conditioning. I can fight for five days, not for five rounds.
What are your goals for the next year?
I hope it’s to take the UFC to Spain. That’s my main goal after this one.
What would a gold belt around your waist mean to you?
It’s going to mean a lot for me because it was a dream I had since I was a kid. To make the dream a reality will be something huge and memorable. I’m never going to forget that moment. So it’s going to be something really, really special. And it’s the first time that my whole family will come and watch me. My sisters, my brother, my wife, my kid. All of them. It’s going to be special.
Lastly, what would your message to fans be about this matchup?
They don’t like short fights. They always like bloody fights. But I’m so sorry. I have to finish him real quick.
(Photo: Cooper Neill / Zuffa LLC via Getty Images)