ILIA TOPURIA

Ilia Topuria represents Georgia and Spain, training under his own banner in the lightweight division. His martial arts foundation stems from Greco-Roman wrestling and Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu, though he has gained significant recognition for his clinical, power-driven boxing. Throughout his career, he captured both the featherweight and lightweight championship titles. His competitive history includes high-profile knockout victories against veteran titleholders like Alexander Volkanovski, Max Holloway, and Charles Oliveira.

Entering this matchup with an overall professional record of seventeen wins and one defeat, Topuria’s recent form has been mixed. He looks to recover from a technical knockout loss against Justin Gaethje sustained in June 2026. Prior to that setback, he enjoyed a lengthy run of success, having stopped Oliveira, Holloway, and Volkanovski in consecutive outings, following a unanimous decision victory over Josh Emmett.