Ilia Topuria News

Bryce Mitchell claims his loss to Ilia Topuria "don't count" because he was sick: "Wasn’t even me in there"
Cole Shelton - September 21, 2023
Bryce Mitchell says he shouldn’t have fought Ilia Topuria as he was too sick. Mitchell suffered his first career defeat back in December as he lost by second-round submission to Topuria at UFC 282. It was a lopsided performance from Topuria and after the fight, Mitchell revealed he was sick and should have pulled out.

Max Holloway responds after Ilia Topuria suggests it’s time for him to retire following win at UFC Singapore
Fernando Quiles Jr. - August 28, 2023
Max Holloway will not be heeding Ilia Topuria’s advice. Topuria was paying attention to Holloway’s recent outing against “The Korean Zombie” Chan Sung Jung. Holloway won the fight with a walk-off KO. The featherweight scrap headlined UFC Singapore this past Saturday. After the fight, Topuria hopped on Twitter to suggest it’s time for “Blessed” to hang up his MMA gloves.

Ilia Topuria and Sean O’Malley trade shots over talk of a potential fight at featherweight: “I see this fight as too easy of a challenge”
Fernando Quiles Jr. - August 27, 2023
Featherweight contender Ilia Topuria and UFC Bantamweight Champion Sean O’Malley have gotten into an exchange on social media. Following his second-round TKO victory over Aljamain Sterling to capture UFC gold, O’Malley said he’d consider challenging for the 145-pound title if Topuria fights and defeats reigning featherweight champion Alexander Volkanovski. O’Malley has said that a bout against Volkanovski is out of the question.

Alexander Volkanovski sends a message to Ilia Topuria after Aljamain Sterling loses at UFC 292
Cole Shelton - August 21, 2023
Alexander Volkanovski has his sights set on Ilia Topuria. Volkanovski was paying close attention to the UFC 292 main event, as Aljamain Sterling had said if he beat Sean O’Malley he was going to call out Volkanovski and fight for the featherweight title. It appeared the featherweight champ was interested in the fight, but Sterling suffered a second-round TKO loss to O’Malley to lose his belt.

Alexander Volkanovski slams 'delusional' Ilia Topuria: "Do you watch me fight?"
Josh Evanoff - July 10, 2023
UFC featherweight champion Alexander Volkanovski has some choice words for Ilia Topuria. ‘The Great’ returned to the cage for yet another title defense against Yair Rodriguez at UFC 290. While ‘El Pantera’ held interim gold stemming from a destructive win over Josh Emmett in February, he was no match. In the pay-per-view headliner, Alexander Volkanovski dominated en route to a fourth-round knockout win.

Ilia Topuria shares bold prediction for “easy” Alexander Volkanovski
Cole Shelton - July 10, 2023
Ilia Topuria is extremely confident heading into a potential title fight against Alexander Volkanovski. In the main event of UFC 290, Volkanovski defended his featherweight title with a third-round TKO over Yair Rodriguez. Following the win, it’s uncertain what will be next for the Aussie as he may move up to lightweight, but if he stays at featherweight, Topuria believes he should be the fight.

Alexander Volkanovski calls for future fight with Ilia Topuria: "Bring it on"
Josh Evanoff - June 28, 2023
UFC featherweight champion Alexander Volkanovski welcomes a future fight with Ilia Topuria. ‘The Great’ is slated to return next month at UFC 290 against Yair Rodriguez. The featherweight title defense will be his first in almost a year, having last competed at lightweight in February. That month at UFC 284, Alexander Volkanovski came up short against Islam Makhachev in a bid for double-champion status.

Ilia Topuria's girlfriend admits she “felt really bad” for Josh Emmett at UFC Jacksonville: “Baby, you should have a little bit of mercy”
Harry Kettle - June 28, 2023
Ilia Topuria’s girlfriend has admitted that she felt bad for Josh Emmett during their featherweight main event last weekend. Last Saturday night, Ilia Topuria made a real statement. He battered Josh Emmett throughout the course of their five-round collision, with many fans and pundits wondering how Emmett was able to survive. Alas, he did survive, and he even made a valiant effort to battle his way back into the contest in the fifth round.

Josh Emmett and Ilia Topuria among seven fighters to be medically suspended indefinitely after UFC Jacksonville
Cole Shelton - June 27, 2023
Josh Emmett was among seven fighters to be medically suspended indefinitely following UFC Jacksonville on Saturday. Emmett was headlining the card against Ilia Topuria in a crucial fight for the featherweight division, as the winner could receive the next title shot. Ultimately, it was Topuria who won a lopsided decision as he dominated Emmett for all five rounds and even picked up a rare 10-7 round. Although Topuria dominated Emmett, both of them received indefinite medical suspensions for their five-round scrap.

Daniel Cormier heaps praise on undefeated UFC featherweight contender Ilia Topuria: “He is the evolution of mixed martial arts”
Harry Kettle - June 27, 2023
UFC commentator Daniel Cormier has praised Ilia Topuria as a breakout star at featherweight following his win over the weekend. Last Saturday night, Ilia Topuria made a real statement. He battered and bruised Josh Emmett, coming away with the biggest win of his career so far. It proved he can go five rounds, it proved he can mix things up, and it proved he’s a genuine contender at 145 pounds.

Ilia Topuria down for Australia showdown with Alexander Volkanovski: "No f*cking problem!"
Josh Evanoff - June 26, 2023
UFC featherweight contender Ilia Topuria is down to fight Alexander Volkanovski anywhere. ‘El Matador’ is fresh off his return in the main event of UFC Jacksonville this past Saturday. There, he faced Josh Emmett in a five-round featherweight showcase. Leading into the contest, Ilia Topuria was vocal about his desire to get a title shot with a victory.

What's next for Ilia Topuria and Josh Emmett after UFC Jacksonville?
Cole Shelton - June 26, 2023
In the main event of UFC Jacksonville, top-10 featherweights threw down as Ilia Topuria took on Josh Emmett. Topuria entered his first UFC main event coming off a one-sided submission win over Bryce Mitchell back in December. He also entered the scrap being a perfect 13-0 in MMA and 5-0 in the UFC. Emmett, meanwhile, was coming off a submission loss to Yair Rodriguez for the interim featherweight title back in February.

Pros react after Ilia Topuria defeats Josh Emmett at UFC Jacksonville
Chris Taylor - June 24, 2023
Tonight’s UFC Jacksonville main featured a key featherweight contest between perennial contenders Ilia Topuria and Josh Emmett. Emmett (18-4 MMA) had entered the contest looking to rebound, this after suffering a submission loss to Yair Rodriguez in a bout for the promotion‘s interim featherweight title back in February. Prior to that defeat, the 38-year-old American had put together a five-fight win streak, which included knockouts victories over Michael Johnson and Mirsad Bektic.

UFC Jacksonville Results: Ilia Topuria defeats Josh Emmett (Highlights)
Chris Taylor - June 24, 2023
We have you covered for all of today’s UFC Jacksonville results, including the featherweight main event between Ilia Topuria and Josh Emmett. Emmett (18-3 MMA) will enter the contest looking to rebound, this after suffering a submission loss to Yair Rodriguez in a bout for the promotion‘s interim featherweight title back in February. Prior to that setback, the 38-year-old American had put together a five-fight win streak, which included knockouts victories over Michael Johnson and Mirsad Bektic.

UFC Jacksonville: 'Emmett vs. Topuria' Live Results and Highlights
Chris Taylor - June 23, 2023
The Octagon returns to Florida for today’s UFC Jacksonville event, a thirteen-bout fight card headlined by Josh Emmett vs. Ilia Topuria. Emmett (18-3 MMA) will enter the contest looking to rebound, this after suffering a submission loss to Yair Rodriguez in a bout for the promotion‘s interim featherweight title back in February. Prior to that setback, the 38-year-old American had put together a five-fight win streak, which included knockouts victories over Michael Johnson and Mirsad Bektic.

Pro fighters make their picks for Josh Emmett vs. Ilia Topuria
Cole Shelton - June 22, 2023
In the main event of UFC Jacksonville, a battle of ranked featherweights go down as Josh Emmett takes on Ilia Topuria. Heading into the fight, Emmett is a +280 underdog while the Georgian is a -390 favorite on FanDuel. Ahead of the fight, BJPENN.com reached out to several pro fighters to get their prediction for the scrap. The pros lean towards Topuria getting the job done as they believe the Georgian is the real deal.

Ilia Topuria wants UFC title shot if he beats Josh Emmett in Jacksonville: "I'm the next guy"
Fernando Quiles Jr. - June 21, 2023
Ilia Topuria believes he’ll be closer than ever to a UFC championship bout after this weekend. In the main event of UFC Jacksonville, Josh Emmett and Ilia Topuria will collide in a pivotal featherweight clash. Going into the bout, Topuria is the number nine-ranked UFC 145-pounder. Emmett’s number five spot is in jeopardy, and he hopes to halt Ilia Topuria’s rise to the top.

Ilia Topuria has moved past the idea of fighting Paddy Pimblett: “He’s not worth anything”
Harry Kettle - June 21, 2023
UFC fighter Ilia Topuria has moved past the idea of fighting Paddy Pimblett, believing it’s not worth his time and effort. Dating back to UFC London last year, Ilia Topuria and Paddy Pimblett have had a big problem with one another. In fact, it stretches back even beyond that, to a social media interaction between the two.