Born in 1997 in Halle, Germany, 28-year-old Topuria's parents, Zaza and Inga, were granted asylum during the ethnic conflict in Abkhazia in the 1990s. It was in Germany that Topuria began training in Greco-Roman wrestling with his brother, Aleksandre.

Topuria and his brother Aleksandre left school to pursue MMA. Photo: Instagram / Ilia Topuria

In 2003, the Topuria family returned to Georgia, where the brothers continued wrestling. Seeking a better life for their children, Zaza and Inga moved the family to Alicante, Spain, in 2012.

Shortly after arriving in Spain, Topuria's mother encountered a man whose ears were deformed from martial arts training. She inquired about where her sons could continue their training. This chance meeting led Topuria to begin his mixed martial arts (MMA) journey under the guidance of brothers Agustin and Jorge Climent.

The Topuria brothers’ passion for MMA was so intense that they asked their father to let them leave school to pursue their dream of competing in the UFC. "Communication was difficult, but I dropped out of school at 15," Topuria shared in 2022 about his early teenage years in Spain. "My brother and I told our father, 'Dad, we don't want to go to school anymore, we want to train. We will go to the gym every day and train all day,' because our dream was to compete in the UFC."

The Georgian fighter continued, "My father said, 'If you really train as hard as you say, then I agree.' That's one of the reasons why I debuted in the UFC at a young age. Getting into the UFC from Spain was difficult because I didn't live in America and wasn't born there."

Topuria with his parents after becoming a UFC champion. Photo: Instagram / Ilia Topuria

Three years after beginning his training with the Climent brothers, Topuria had his first professional fight at 18. He demonstrated immense potential, winning 8 consecutive matches, 7 of them by submission.

In 10/2022, the UFC invited Topuria to compete. Since then, he has knocked out all opponents, except Youssef Zalal and Josh Emmett (whom he defeated by decision), on his way to winning and defending the featherweight title.

At UFC 298 in 2/2024, Topuria knocked out Alexander Volkanovski in the second round to claim the featherweight championship, ending Volkanovski's 4-year reign. He became the first Georgian fighter to win a UFC championship and also earned the Performance of the Night award.

The 28-year-old continued his dominance by knocking out former champion Max Holloway to defend his featherweight title at UFC 308 in 10/2024. This marked Holloway's first knockout defeat, and Topuria again secured the Performance of the Night bonus.

Topuria further solidified his stardom with a first-round knockout victory against Charles Oliveira at UFC 317 on 28/6, becoming the new lightweight champion. He became the 10th two-division champion in UFC history, notably the first to achieve this feat while remaining undefeated.

These victories, especially in title fights, have elevated Topuria to superstardom in the UFC. He has over 11 million followers on Instagram, has been honored by Real Madrid, and maintains close relationships with legends Iker Casillas and Sergio Ramos.

British newspaper Sunsport commented that Topuria is gradually replacing McGregor as the new symbol of the UFC, nearly 4 years after the Irish legend's last fight in the octagon. Sean O’Malley was once expected to be McGregor's successor, but after two losses to Merab Dvalishvili, the American fighter has not maintained his form.

McGregor (top) and Topuria celebrate by holding both the lightweight and featherweight championship belts. Photo: UFC

After defeating Oliveira, Topuria recreated McGregor's iconic celebration by holding both championship belts. The Irish fighter performed this celebration after defeating Eddie Alvarez in 11/2016, winning both the lightweight and featherweight titles.

Topuria and McGregor also became two-division champions at nearly the same age, with only an 11-day difference. McGregor made history at 28 years, 4 months, and 10 days old, while Topuria replicated the feat at 28 years, 4 months, and 21 days old.

McGregor congratulated Topuria on replicating his achievement. "Congrats on winning my old title, Illia. Three knockouts in a row is good. Can’t knock that. I like Ilia," McGregor posted on X, but deleted it shortly after.

McGregor previously lost to Khabib Nurmagomedov, the former champion and current coach of Islam Makhachev. Makhachev is likely Topuria's next opponent, creating a symbolic passing-of-the-torch matchup. If Topuria defeats the Russian fighter, he could surpass his Irish predecessor in stature.

As of 7/2025, Topuria is ranked number one pound-for-pound by the UFC, an accomplishment McGregor never achieved during his prime. With a solid technical foundation, disciplined fighting spirit, and a well-rounded fighting style, Topuria is considered the new icon of the UFC and could achieve even greater success if he maintains his current form.

Compiled by Hong Duy