Ilia Topuria

The two-division undefeated champion

Ilia Topuria won the UFC featherweight title at UFC 298 in February 2024 by KO of Alexander Volkanovski in round 2 — a one-shot right hand counter that ended the four-year Volkanovski reign. He defended the title once (Max Holloway at UFC 308 in October 2024, KO in round 3) before vacating the belt to move up to lightweight, where he won the lightweight title at UFC 317 in June 2025 (KO of Charles Oliveira in round 1). His record stands at 17-0.

His résumé includes wins over Damon Jackson, Ryan Hall, Bryce Mitchell, Josh Emmett, Volkanovski, Holloway, and Oliveira.

The Georgian-Spanish origin

Topuria was born in Halle, Germany in 1997 to Georgian immigrant parents and raised in Alicante, Spain. He trained at Climent Club in Alicante under coaches Agustín Climent and Jorge Climent, where he developed the counter-striking style that's defined his career. The Spanish MMA presence — Topuria is the highest-profile Spanish fighter in UFC history — has made him a major cultural figure in Spain and a UFC marketing priority for the European market.

The technical style

Topuria's striking is the cleanest counter-puncher template at lower weight classes. The signature traits:

• Right-hand counter: thrown off the opponent's commitment to a combination. The Volkanovski KO at UFC 298 was a textbook counter right.
• Lead-hook setup: the lead hook used as both an offensive jab-replacement and a setup for the rear cross.
• Defensive head movement: the slip-and-counter game that's developed late in his career and is now the most consistent feature of his bouts.
• BJJ black belt grappling: submission threats from any position, with the rear-naked choke as the standard finish.
• Wrestling defense: the wrestling defense that allowed him to compete with Charles Oliveira at lightweight in the title-winning bout.

The Volkanovski KO

The UFC 298 title bout in February 2024 was the most surprising title-change of the year. Volkanovski was -300 favorite; Topuria was +250. The bout went round 1 with Volkanovski controlling the early striking exchanges, then Topuria landed a counter right hand in round 2 that dropped Volkanovski; the follow-up ground-and-pound ended the bout at 3:32 of round 2.

The result confirmed Topuria as the next-generation featherweight champion and ended the four-year Volkanovski reign in one decisive moment.

The Holloway defense

The October 2024 UFC 308 title defense against Max Holloway was Topuria's first championship-pace test. Holloway was returning to featherweight after the UFC 300 win over Justin Gaethje; Topuria KO'd him in round 3 with a counter right hand. The clean finish demonstrated that Topuria could win against the longest-reigning previous featherweight champion at championship pace.

The lightweight move

Topuria vacated the featherweight title in 2025 and moved up to lightweight for the title shot against Charles Oliveira at UFC 317 in June 2025. The bout went round 1 with Topuria landing a right-hand counter that KO'd Oliveira at 1:24. The result made Topuria the second simultaneous two-division UFC champion in 2024-2025 (after the brief Conor McGregor moment in 2016).

The legacy projection

Topuria's case for the all-time elite is already substantial at age 28 — undefeated through two divisions, the Volkanovski KO, and the Holloway finish at championship pace. The competitive window remaining is 5-7 years. The matchmaking pipeline includes potential bouts with Islam Makhachev (the lightweight rematch), Ilia Topuria-vs-Max Holloway rematch potential, and the next-wave lightweight contenders.

If his career extends past 2027 with continued title reigns, Topuria's combination of European cultural significance, two-division success, and KO finishing capability positions him as one of the consequential UFC champions of the 2020s.