No.2 ranked UFC featherweight contender, Ilia Topuria has taken the UFC by storm with multiple consecutive wins in the promotion. His success has earned him a title shot against the featherweight champion, Alexander Volkanovski, for the featherweight title at UFC 298.

‘El Matador’ believes that he would be the one to dethrone the man who has ruled over the featherweight division for over four years. The Spaniard will trade leather against the Australian champion this weekend and is in high hopes of being the first person to bring the featherweight belt to Spain. As such, Topuria and his team are leaving no stone unturned for their upcoming title match.

Ilia Topuria’s coaches and teammates for the fight against Volkanovski

Leading up to the fight against Volkanovski, Topuria will most likely be going to war with the same people he’s gone to war with before. Topuria trains with the Climent brothers from the Climent Club, which is located in Alicante, Spain.

Ilia Topuria, for his fight against Volkanovski, would be training with Jorge Climent and Agustin Climent, and Topuria’s brother, Alexsandre “El Cazador” Topuria an MMA fighter with a 5-1 record, along with some other professional fighters from Alicante.

According to a picture posted on the main page of the gym that Topuria trains out of, ‘El Matador’ looks to be training with former UFC fighter Reza Madadi. Along with other upcoming fighters from Spain, such as Ahmed El Iddrissi and Pepe Torres.

Topuria has managed to surround himself with some of the best fighters and trainers in Spain. And seeing his dedication to the sport, it’s not a surprise seeing ‘El Matador’ had such an impressive rise in the promotion.

El Matador’s rise inside the UFC octagon

Ilia ‘El Matador’ Topuria came into the UFC with a record of 8-0 with a 100% finish rate, with 7 of the 8 fights ending in the first round. Topuria’s first fight inside the UFC Octagon against Youseff Zalal in 2020 was his first fight that went the distance. The 27-year-old, however, won the fight via unanimous decision as he dominated the majority of the fight against Zalal.

Topuria went on to finish the next four of his opponents, Damon Jackson, Ryan Hall, Jai Herbert, and Bryce Mitchell, in the next two years. The 27-year-old then had a dominating 5-round war against Josh Emmett which he won via a unanimous decision in 2023. ‘El Matador’s win against Emmett would lead him to a shot at the featherweight title, as he would hold a 6-0 record in the UFC with an MMA record of 14-0.

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Topuria is undoubtedly one of the best featherweights in the division, apart from Alexander Volkanovski. Will he be able to take the crown away from the current featherweight king? Let us know what you think in the comments section below.

Also Read: Ilia Topuria Nickname- What Does the UFC Star’s Moniker ‘El Matador’ Mean?