History of Ilia Topuria in Timeline

Ilia Topuria is a professional mixed martial artist from Georgia and Spain. He is currently the UFC Featherweight Champion and competes in the Featherweight division. His impressive performance has earned him the #5 spot in the UFC men's pound-for-pound rankings as of February 20, 2024.

January 21, 1997: Birth of Ilia Topuria

Ilia Topuria was born on January 21, 1997.

2015: Professional Debut in Martial Arts

Ilia Topuria made his debut as a professional martial artist in local competitions in 2015.

2018: First Georgian Black Belt in Brazilian Jiu-jitsu

In May 2018, Ilia Topuria and his brother, Alex, became the first Georgian black belts in Brazilian Jiu-jitsu.

November 15, 2019: Victory Against Steven Goncalves

Ilia Topuria won his second fight in BRAVE by defeating Steven Goncalves by KO in the first round on November 15, 2019.

2019: Birth of Son

Ilia Topuria and his partner welcomed their son in 2019.

October 11, 2020: Victory Against Youssef Zalal

Ilia Topuria replaced Seung Woo Choi on short notice and fought Youssef Zalal at UFC Fight Night: Moraes vs. Sandhagen, winning by unanimous decision on October 11, 2020.

December 5, 2020: Victory Against Damon Jackson

On December 5, 2020, at UFC on ESPN: Hermansson vs. Vettori, Ilia Topuria defeated Damon Jackson via knockout in round one.

July 10, 2021: Victory Against Ryan Hall

On July 10, 2021, at UFC 264, Ilia Topuria won against Ryan Hall via knockout in round one.

January 22, 2022: Fight Cancellation

Ilia Topuria was scheduled to fight Charles Jourdain (replacing Movsar Evloev), but had to withdraw from the card due to a medical issue related to cutting weight on January 22, 2022.

March 19, 2022: Victory Against Jai Herbert

Replacing Mike Davis, Ilia Topuria faced Jai Herbert at UFC Fight Night 204 and won the fight via knockout in round two, earning the Performance of the Night award on March 19, 2022.

October 29, 2022: Fight Cancellation

Ilia Topuria's scheduled bout against Edson Barboza at UFC Fight Night 213 was cancelled due to a knee injury sustained by Barboza in late September 2022.

December 10, 2022: Victory Against Bryce Mitchell

Ilia Topuria defeated Bryce Mitchell via submission in round two at UFC 282, earning him the Performance of the Night award on December 10, 2022.

June 17, 2023: Fight Rescheduled

Ilia Topuria's fight against Josh Emmett, initially scheduled for June 17, 2023, at UFC on ESPN 47, was shifted to June 24, 2023.

June 24, 2023: Victory Against Josh Emmett

Ilia Topuria won against Josh Emmett via unanimous decision at UFC on ABC: Emmett vs. Topuria on June 24, 2023, earning the Fight of the Night award.

January 20, 2024: Fight Postponed

Ilia Topuria's scheduled fight against Alexander Volkanovski for the UFC Featherweight Championship at UFC 297 on January 20, 2024, was postponed to February.

February 17, 2024: UFC Featherweight Champion

On February 17, 2024, Ilia Topuria defeated Alexander Volkanovski via knockout in the second round at UFC 298, ending Volkanovski's four-year reign as champion and earning the Performance of the Night award.