Former UFC featherweight champion Ilia Topuria has completely stopped sparring since moving to the lightweight division, as his strikes have been causing too much damage to his training partners.
Ilia Topuria on Joe Rogan's podcast
You’ll see me at 70 pounds, and if I touch someone, I’ll turn their lights out. Even though I don’t even have to touch their chin, I just touch their head and it’ll explode. I feel so powerful at that weight, so powerful and stable on the ground. You want to wrestle - let’s wrestle, no problem. I have a gas tank for 5 days, not 5 rounds.
Topuria last fought against Max Holloway in October 2024 at UFC 308. That bout, which was stopped in the third round, resulted in a knockout victory for Ilia. He has a perfect record of 16 wins and no losses.
Topuria made his UFC debut in October 2020 against American fighter Youssef Zalal. That fight went the full distance and ended with Ilia winning by unanimous decision.
