Tag: Aleksandre Topuria

‘Never Close To His Brother’s Level’ – Fans Split As Ilia Topuria’s Sibling Wins Debut At UFC 312

Though the jury may still be out on him, Aleksandre Topuria, the brother of UFC Featherweight Champion Ilia Topuria, undoubtedly scored a victory in his Octagon debut, defeating Colby Thicknesse during the preliminary card of UFC 312 in Australia. The Spaniard and his Australian foe traded plenty of strikes to start things off, with the […]

Though the jury may still be out on him, Aleksandre Topuria, the brother of UFC Featherweight Champion Ilia Topuria, undoubtedly scored a victory in his Octagon debut, defeating Colby Thicknesse during the preliminary card of UFC 312 in Australia.

The Spaniard and his Australian foe traded plenty of strikes to start things off, with the former also shaking off a pair of takedown attempts in the fight’s opening minute.

Late in the first, Topuria rocked Thicknesse with a right hand, with the latter going down to the mat. In spite of “El Conquistador” taking his back, Thicknesse was able to get back to his feet and got away from his grasp. Topuria, however, managed to land one nasty-looking suplex in the round’s closing seconds.

Thicknesse picked up the pacing and volume of his striking in the second round. The Spanish newcomer, however, maintained his stalking, pressure-based approach en route to another strong performance.

By the middle of the third round, Topuria had stuffed eight of Thicknesse’s takedown attempts before “El Conquistador” took the fight to the ground himself. Ilia’s brother rode out about half of the final round in top position, controlling the position and stopping any desperation submission attempts from Thicknesse.

Aleksandre Topuria, Ilia’s Brother, Wins UFC Debut At UFC 312

The Spanish debutant went 2-1 in fights during 2015 before taking years off, helping Ilia out with his MMA journey. He competed three times between December 2021 and May 2023, winning all three fights, before making his UFC debut tonight.

Thicknesse, meanwhile,was 7-0 prior to tonight, most recently defeating Marven Malunes at a HEX Fight Series event in November.

Debuting Aleksandre Topuria ‘Not His Brother’, Says UFC 312 Opponent

Colby Thicknesse is vowing to show the difference in ability between Ilia Topuria and the featherweight kingpin’s UFC debuting brother this weekend. The preliminary card of Saturday’s UFC 312 pay-per-view will see two prominent newcomers collide, with Thicknesse and Aleksandre Topuria getting their first taste of Octagon action against one another. The Australian bantamweight, a […]

Colby Thicknesse is vowing to show the difference in ability between Ilia Topuria and the featherweight kingpin’s UFC debuting brother this weekend.

The preliminary card of Saturday’s UFC 312 pay-per-view will see two prominent newcomers collide, with Thicknesse and Aleksandre Topuria getting their first taste of Octagon action against one another.

The Australian bantamweight, a teammate of Alexander Volkanovski’s, boasts an undefeated record and is coming off championship success under the HEX Fight Series banner. In “El Conquistador,” though, Thicknesse is facing the sibling of one of the most feared and dominant men in the UFC right now.

But challenging an opponent who trains alongside the current 145-pound champ and shares the same name doesn’t faze the local favorite, who is confident in rejecting any comparison between the two when it comes to skill level.

“He’s definitely got the same sort of style because they train together, but he’s not his brother, and I’m going to go out there on (Saturday) and show it,” Thicknesse said during UFC 312 media day. “He hasn’t really beaten anybody noticeable. His opponent’s combined records aren’t that great. Come (Saturday), I get to go out and show that against him.”

Ilia Topuria’s Brother Gets Alexander Volkanovski’s Teammate As Replacement Opponent For UFC 312

UFC debutant Aleksandre Topuria has a new opponent to prepare for, and one that could re-spark the rivalry between his brother Ilia and Alexander Volkanovski. While plenty of attention has been on Ilia’s impressive rise to championship glory at 145 pounds in the UFC, his sibling has been working away himself, looking to parve his […]

UFC debutant Aleksandre Topuria has a new opponent to prepare for, and one that could re-spark the rivalry between his brother Ilia and Alexander Volkanovski.

While plenty of attention has been on Ilia’s impressive rise to championship glory at 145 pounds in the UFC, his sibling has been working away himself, looking to parve his own path to mixed martial arts’ biggest stage.

And after signing with the promotion, Aleksandre’s debut was announced for UFC 312 in Sydney, Australia early next month. Originally, the 5-1 bantamweight prospect was set to face Cody Haddon. But with an injury ruling him out, Topuria’s new first matchup brings with it a backstory.

Per a report from Spanish journalist Álvaro Colmenero, “El Cazador” is now set to share the cage with the undefeated Colby Thicknesse on Feb. 8. Interestingly, as well as being a HEC champion, the Australian is a teammate of Volkanovski’s.

Ilia knocked Volkanovski out in Anaheim almost 12 months ago to capture the featherweight gold. After repeating that violent feat at the expense of Max Holloway last October, many are expecting the Spaniard to run it back with “Alexander the Great” in 2025.

Another occasional training partner of the ex-champ’s, City Kickboxing standout Dan Hooker, also recently claimed that Topuria turned down a defense against Volkanovski for UFC 313 in March due to a need for longer to make the weight.

It remains to be seen whether Ilia and his Aussie rival will renew hostilities inside the cage. For now, though, they’ll be preparing for a different team Topuria vs. team Volkanovski battle at UFC 312.

Ilia Topuria’s Brother Gets Alexander Volkanovski’s Teammate As Replacement Opponent For UFC 312

UFC debutant Aleksandre Topuria has a new opponent to prepare for, and one that could re-spark the rivalry between his brother Ilia and Alexander Volkanovski. While plenty of attention has been on Ilia’s impressive rise to championship glory at 145 pounds in the UFC, his sibling has been working away himself, looking to parve his […]

UFC debutant Aleksandre Topuria has a new opponent to prepare for, and one that could re-spark the rivalry between his brother Ilia and Alexander Volkanovski.

While plenty of attention has been on Ilia’s impressive rise to championship glory at 145 pounds in the UFC, his sibling has been working away himself, looking to parve his own path to mixed martial arts’ biggest stage.

And after signing with the promotion, Aleksandre’s debut was announced for UFC 312 in Sydney, Australia early next month. Originally, the 5-1 bantamweight prospect was set to face Cody Haddon. But with an injury ruling him out, Topuria’s new first matchup brings with it a backstory.

Per a report from Spanish journalist Álvaro Colmenero, “El Cazador” is now set to share the cage with the undefeated Colby Thicknesse on Feb. 8. Interestingly, as well as being a HEC champion, the Australian is a teammate of Volkanovski’s.

Ilia knocked Volkanovski out in Anaheim almost 12 months ago to capture the featherweight gold. After repeating that violent feat at the expense of Max Holloway last October, many are expecting the Spaniard to run it back with “Alexander the Great” in 2025.

Another occasional training partner of the ex-champ’s, City Kickboxing standout Dan Hooker, also recently claimed that Topuria turned down a defense against Volkanovski for UFC 313 in March due to a need for longer to make the weight.

It remains to be seen whether Ilia and his Aussie rival will renew hostilities inside the cage. For now, though, they’ll be preparing for a different team Topuria vs. team Volkanovski battle at UFC 312.

Daily Street Fights: Ilia Topuria’s Mother Reveals His Unruly Past Defending Himself on Georgia’s Streets

Daily Street Fights: Ilia Topuria’s Mother Reveals His Unruly Past Defending Himself on Georgia's StreetsEl Matador’ Ilia Topuria, the UFC featherweight world champion, carved his toughness through daily street fights in his hometown,…

Daily Street Fights: Ilia Topuria’s Mother Reveals His Unruly Past Defending Himself on Georgia's Streets

El Matador’ Ilia Topuria, the UFC featherweight world champion, carved his toughness through daily street fights in his hometown, according to a book by his mother.

Ilia Topuria and Street Fighting

The Spanish-Georgian Ilia Topuria captured the UFC featherweight crown with a highly impressive knockout against the top-ranked pound-for-pound athlete Alexander ‘The Great’ Volkanovski. He then defended this throne by way of knockout against the all-time great ‘Blessed’ Max Holloway.

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ABU DHABI, UNITED ARAB EMIRATES – OCTOBER 26: Ilia Topuria of Spain reacts after a knockout victory against Max Holloway in the UFC featherweight championship fight during the UFC 308 event at Etihad Arena on October 26, 2024 in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates. (Photo by Chris Unger/Zuffa LLC)

‘El Cazador’ Aleksandre Topuria is the brother of Ilia and is an MMA fighter as well. Their mother Inga recently wrote a book about them and tells a story about their days of street fighting. She said:

“I mentioned fights and this was about street fights. It was not rare, it was a daily routine. Whenever they were in the streets, they were fighting. To imagine – Three boys would appear. They looked like they had just watched “Scarface” movie and didn’t know what to do.

“They would come and tell you that they wanted your hat or your belt. There were three ways – giving up, running away and fighting. There was a fourth one – finding a mutual friend, but this fourth one was a bit difficult, so Ilia and Sandro always prefered to fight and surprisingly, at the end of the day, they always had a hat and a belt.

“It was not about the things, it was about to secure/defend their place in the streets. It’s where they realized that the way to their biggest (Championship) belts started with keeping their own, ordinary belts in the streets of Rustavi.”

The family grew up in Rustavi, Georgia which was destroyed during the Mongol invasions in the 13th century and remained largely abandoned until the 20th century. The modern city of Rustavi was rebuilt in the 1940s with industrialization efforts. It has faced significant economic challenges after the collapse of the Soviet Union