Ilia Topuria is an undefeated professional mixed martial artist who competes in the UFC’s featherweight division.
He is currently No.3 in the world rankings — here we take a look at his life, career and net worth.
Ilia Topuria was born on January 23, 1997 in Halle Westfalen, Germany to Georgian parents.
When Ilia was seven years old, he and his family moved to Georgia — where he started practicing Greco-Roman wrestling at school.
He then moved to Alicante, Spain at the age of 15, where he started practicing martial arts at the Climent Club along with his brother Alexandre — making his professional debut in local competitions while still a 15-year-old.
It was at the Climent Club that Ilia earned his nickname El Matador — due to his powerful hands and excellent ground skills.
He competed in the Spanish Mix Fight Events promotion, winning his first four fights and taking home a belt.
In 2018, Ilia fought his first international bout in Cage MMA Finland, and in May of the same year became the fist Georgian to earn a blackbelt in Brazilian Jiu-jitsu — as well as his brother Alexandre.
Ilia next signed with Brave Combat Federation in 2019, making his debut in Bogota, Columbia, defeating Luis Gomez via a first-round submission.
Who deserves more than me to fight for the title? No one else. So I’m the next guy
Ilia Topuria
He got his UFC shot as a last-minute replacement for Seung Woo Choi to fight Youssef Zalal on October 11, 2020 — UFC Fight Night 179 — winning the bout by unanimous decision.
Ilia has continued in the same vein from his auspicious debut, going on to win all of his fights so far in the franchise.
His last victory against then No.5-ranked Josh Emmett — during which Ilia brutally rearranged his opponent’s face — stretched his record to a perfect 14-0, with six of those victories coming inside the octagon.
Ilia then set his sights on featherweight king Alexander Volkanovski, saying: “I’m the next guy in the line.
“Who deserves more than me to fight for the title? No one else. So I’m the next guy.”
The undefeated fighter has ruffled a lot of feathers with his cocky antics ahead of his shot at featherweight gold on February 17, 2024 against Volkanovski at UFC 298 in Anaheim, California.
As well as posting Hollywood-esque videos declaring himself the next 145lbs king, Ilia changed his Instagram bio to read “UFC World Champion Undefeated 15-0” along with an image of himself holding a belt.
His antics haven’t gone unnoticed by featherweight king Volkanovski, who believes El Matador is setting himself up for the grandest of falls.
‘The Great’ told SunSport: “I think he really loves the whole — what could I say — the famous side of things. The celebrity sort of business.
“Mate, this ain’t the celebrity business. Yeah, you might be popular but you’ve gotta remember what comes first. It’s training.
“If you’re already sitting there being a celebrity, you’re gonna be in for a rude, rude shock when you come and face me.
“Or anyone [of these top guys]. He hasn’t had the chance to face some of these top guys. It’s not gonna be enough.”
He added: “If he wants to be a champion one day or a great champion, he’s going to need me to do what I’m going to do this weekend and then he’s going to thank me for it.”
Reports of Ilia’s net worth vary, but not too dramatically.
Most outlets estimate it to be around $1million (£794,000).
Whereas FreshersLive puts his fortune somewhere between $3-4million (£2.4-3.2million).
Ilia doesn’t like to disclose personal information, which includes speaking about his love life.
He is married to Giorgina Uzcatugi, who is reportedly an entrepreneur and founder of the sustainability and environmentally friendly living company Future & Energy.
She also has a large social media presence, with over 207,000 followers on Instagram.
According to reports the couple has a son, but they do not share information about him in the public domain.
