This is how he managed to win all his fights and go 15-0.
Ilya Topuria He has a track record that many legends in their respective sports would covet. Few, if not almost no one, can count their competitions by victories. The Georgian-born Latino further enhanced his legend after knocking out the Australian. Alexander VolkanovskyV UFC 298 eveningand become the featherweight champion.
It all started in 2015. Having trained in Greco-Roman wrestling before coming to Spain, he realized that his path (and the path of his brother Alexander) was to enter the octagon. Little by little, he shone in the fights he trained for until he reached the point where he is now, on the verge of winning the championship belt.
Its balance is undoubtedly good.: 15 wins, 0 losses and 0 invalid fights. Of these, 8 were by submission, 5 by knockout and 2 by technical decision of the judges.
Ilya Topuria vs. Francisco Javier Asprilla
The first featherweight fight at the professional level took place in West Coast Warriors EventApril 4, 2015, Valencia. Topuria’s professional debut was flawless: the key submission took place 3.5 minutes into the fight.
Ilya Topuria vs. Kalil Martin
Just a month later, on May 9, 2015, in Clement Club Where he has a home, Topuria defeated Kahlil Martin in just one minute via submission thanks to a quick rear naked choke.
Ilya Topuria vs. Daniel Vasquez
At the 2016 Mix Fights Events, where the weight limit was agreed upon at 141 pounds (63.95 kilograms), under featherweight, Ilya Topuria demonstrated her versatility. Daniel Vasquez He succumbed to the same key as Martin. It lasted just under two minutes.
Ilya Topuria vs. John Guarin
In his fourth professional fight, the Latino-Colombian John Guarin He put Ilya Topuria on the ropes. After winning the previous ones in the first round, it was much more difficult to defeat him in this one. Almost three minutes later, Guarin died from a critical choke and Topuria captured the MBE featherweight title.
Ilya Topuria vs. Mika Hamalainen
In his debut in bantamweight In Helsinki, he met with Finn Mika Hamalainen in a tough fight, for which he had been preparing for almost two years.
Ilya Topuria vs. Brian Buland
Having failed to gain weight, Ilya Topuria was unable to claim the bantamweight title. His victory over the Belgian Brian Buland This helped him expand his record and earn the respect of the judges and the public, but not the belt. The way he “put Buland to sleep” is still remembered years later.
Ilya Topuria vs. Luis Gomez
We lived in Bogota Return of Ilya Topuria to featherweighthis natural weight, and local man Luis Gomez gave in, making it the first time a Latino-Georgian had starred on the night.
Ilya Topuria vs. Stephen Gonsalves
first victory by knockoutwith an unforgettable blow from the professional career of Ilya Topuria. This fight took place in Bahrain in November 2019.
Ilya Topuria vs. Youssef Zalal
He Topuria’s UFC debut It almost ended in disaster. Moroccan Youssef Zalal made his task very difficult, but in the end “Matador” won by unanimous decision.
Ilya Topuria vs. Damon Jackson
He second fight in UFCalready in Las Vegas, showed the whole world that Topuria is very difficult to defeat with gloves. A powerful knockout against Damon Jackson, which brought him his tenth professional victory.
Ilya Topuria vs. Ryan Hall
A chain of accurate punches allowed Ilya Topuria to win the UFC 264 tournament over Ryan Hall. At that point, in mid-2021, Dana White was already well positioned for the Latino-Georgian.
Ilya Topuria vs. Jay Herbert
The first and only professional fight of Ilya Topuria in the lightweight division. Briton Jai Herbert won by knockout in the second round of hand-to-hand combat.
Ilya Topuria vs. Bryce Mitchell
The second performance of the night was against Bryce Mitchell, who survived being left without a win by Topuria due to a choke.
Ilya Topuria vs. Josh Emmett
The only fight of 2023 and the one that brought him confirmation from Dana White that he could fight for the title. Josh Emmett succumbed to the unanimous decision of the judges and elevated Topuria to the category of a contender for the featherweight title.
Ilya Topuria vs. Alexander Volkanovsky
With a spectacular combo at the beginning of the second round, Ilya Topuria was proclaimed world featherweight champion and sent the legendary Alexander Volkanovski to bed. A fight for history in which his record currently stands at 15 wins.
It remains to be seen whether he can maintain this full strength as he has four fights ahead of him: next against Max Holloway and, as expected, against Conor McGregor.