Ilia Topuria — Making Sense of The Enigma
Everything you wanted to know about ‘El Matador’ (but didn’t speak enough Georgian or Spanish to ask).
Despite being only the 5th man to ever hold the UFC featherweight title in the division’s 14-year history, to many Ilia Topuria remains an enigma. People watch him kick off a football (yes, we call it football) game at the most legendary stadium in the world, be greeted like a hero and even granted citizenship by the prime minister of Spain, then get absolutely mobbed upon stepping off a private jet in Georgia… Yet, the fans can’t fully grasp the connection between the rose-carrying title challenger who demonstrated an unprecedented level of composure against one of the greatest fighters to grace this planet, and the German-born Georgian-Spaniard berserker who threw a bottle of hand sanitizer at Paddy Pimblett.
The main point of disconnect between Topuria and the Western audience seems to be the language barrier — most of his early interviews are done in either Spanish or Georgian, so it’s hard to trace the progression of a teenage immigrant to the flashy guy who’s friends with the world’s biggest sports stars, like Sergio Ramos, and Rafael Nadal. However, I always believed that sport, just like life, is all about stories. So, as a self-proclaimed MMA chronicler, I will attempt to tell the story of one Ilia Topuria, and fill in the gaps between the things that may be getting lost in translation.
German? Spanish? Georgian?
Born in Halle Westfalen to Georgian parents, Ilia Topuria spent the first seven years of his life living in Germany, before the family decided to move back to their country of origin. However, in his early interviews, Topuria mentions that he doesn’t feel much of a connection to Germany, which is understandable — he was way too young to form any kind of a real attachment to his surroundings. This explains why he doesn’t consider himself German, nor does he carry the black, red, and yellow tricolor to the octagon.
The story of Topuria’s two other allegiances — Georgian and Spanish — is a bit more complex. And while Ilia never really mentions the reason behind his family moving back to the ‘birthplace of wine’, the reality that greeted them there clearly didn’t meet their expectations. In the 1990s and early 2000s life in Georgia was turbulent, to say the least. Now one of the biggest post-Soviet success stories and a must-visit tourist destination, back then Georgia was only starting to recover from the economic shock of the collapse of the USSR, and the aftermath of the so-called “dark 90’s”. Especially in the beginning of the process, the country was plagued by poverty and corruption, and the only thing harder than finding work was trying to establish some semblance of normality, and raise a family while battling constant water and power outages. This is why when Topuria compares his knockout of Alexander Volkanovski to ‘the lights going out in Australia’, Georgians may laugh a bit louder than others: many of us grew up thinking that the word “hooray” was another term for electricity — because that’s what everyone shouted when the lightbulb would come alive after hours or even days of literal darkness.
But back to El Matador. For whatever reason, coming back to Georgia proved to not be the right move for the Topuria household. So Ilia’s parents decided to give Western Europe another chance — this time by moving to Spain. 8 years later, a 15-year-old ‘El Matador’ would join them.
Why Spain? When asked this question by Ariel Helwani, Topuria struggles to name a specific reason. However, no one in Georgia would even really wonder about this: for Georgian immigrants whose options are — let’s be honest — very limited, Spain remains one of the most attractive European countries. I am no expert on the subject but, from my limited understanding, the cost of living there is generally lower than in e.g. France or the Netherlands, which means less starting capital is required to get settled. Additionally, in some instances, Spain can be a relatively easier option for obtaining work or temporary residence permit compared to other EU states.
But there’s one more reason why Georgians — and the Topurias are no different — tend to feel right at home in Spain. And that’s where things get really interesting.
The Spanish Connection
Those who have listened to Ilia’s interviews in Spanish are usually shocked to learn that he is not a Spaniard — at times, Topuria seems like ‘the most Spanish man alive’. Well, that’s because Georgians and Spaniards are actually quite similar. Culturally, and even in terms of temperaments and general societal dynamics, we’re quite alike. Last year, for example, I had the pleasure of living in Andalusia for a little bit and was shocked at how similar people’s attitudes were to those at home in Georgia.
But the connection doesn’t end here, in fact, it becomes even more fascinating. Despite the territories being located 2500+ miles apart, ancient Greeks and Romans called both Spain and Georgia the same word — “Iberia”. Additionally, there seems to be a close link between Georgians and Basques, an ethnic group originating from southwest France and northwest Spain. There’re even similarities in the way these two (otherwise unique) languages are constructed!
So, it would be safe to assume that Topuria has adopted so much of the Spanish behavior, speech patterns, and mannerisms partially because he moved to Spain when he was 15, and it was easy for a teenager to soak it all in (a similar thing happened to yours truly when I lived in the US at the age of 16). But also because it fit organically with his ‘default’ persona and make-up, due to certain similarities between the two countries.
So, while the newly-minted champion doesn’t feel any connection to his legal birthplace, Topuria proudly represents both Georgia (the country of his ethnic origin, where he spent most of his conscious childhood and early teens) and Spain (the country that adopted him at the tender age of 15 and gave him every opportunity to make his dreams come true). And that’s exactly why Topuria is treated like a hero in both states. Imagine being so special that two separate countries (neither of which, by the way, is lacking in famous historical figures) shower you with affection while arguing about who loves you more. To his credit, however, Topuria has regularly gone out of his way to pay equal homage to both. Buen bicho Ilia!
Paddy “The Baddy” and the Mystery of the Hand Sanitizer
No less puzzling than Topuria’s origin is his beef with the vocal Scouser Paddy Pimblet. What originated as a social media feud, eventually spilled over into a physical altercation, when the two men almost came to blows during the UFC 282 fight week in London. Topuria and Pimblet ran into each other at the fighter hotel where, due to being restrained from laying hands on “The Baddy”, the Georgian threw a bottle of hand sanitizer at the Brit.
But what has caused the conflict? Well, like all great wars of today, it all started with a tweet. In April 2021, while verbally sparring with another Georgian (this time a Lightweight) Guram Kutateladze, Pimblett stated that “Georgians are stupid” and he understood why the Russians are “terrorizing their lives”. These comments referred to the political tensions between Georgia and Russia that had periodically been spilling into military conflicts over the last few decades (if not centuries). With the latest war happening as recently as 2008, and the fact that, to this day, 20% of Georgia is occupied by Russia, one can understand how this would be a touchy subject. Countless Georgians lost loved ones to these conflicts, hundreds of thousands of people were internally displaced and forced to leave their homes, causing all kinds of personal tragedies and social problems… These scars are fresh and run deep, so any reference to the above-mentioned events is a grave offense to most Georgians. And Topuria is no different. Hence the confrontation and ‘The Bottlegate’.
MMA fans will remember that because of this, at one point the two UFC stars seemed to be on a collision course. The possibility briefly became even more realistic in 2022, when featherweight Topuria made his lone appearance at lightweight — the division Paddy competes in. The conflict, however, never made it to the octagon: despite being victorious in his 155 lbs debut, Ilia returned to his original weight class, where he captured the Featherweight belt a little over a month ago. Considering the trajectory of their respective careers, it feels safe to say that the two are unlikely to ever meet in the cage. But, hey, MMA was created to constantly remind people how little they know about anything… so never say ‘never.’
Wait… There’re two of them?!
Another thing that some fans may not know about Ilia Topuria is that he has an older brother — Alexsandre — who is also a professional mixed martial artist and is in fact quite good. How good? 5–1–0, on a three-fight win streak, with all three being first-round finishes. I guess, you’ll see the rest for yourselves, once “El Conquistador” makes his long-awaited UFC bantamweight debut in the near future.
Until then, however, it’s an absolute delight to watch the two brothers perform, train together, and support each other on this beautiful MMA odyssey… All while pondering the possibility of a Georgian UFC dynasty — something no Georgian would even dare to dream about a short time ago.
Speaking of dynasties, did you know that Ilia has a 5-year-old son and a daughter on the way?
The Conor McGregor Comparisons
Ah, the inevitable comparisons to Conor McGregor… I truly, truly despise those — but not for the reasons you might think.
I know, it’s recently become popular to criticize McGregor, and question any and every accomplishment the Irishman has had in the sport… However, that’s not the party I’ll be joining anytime soon. I respect the role that Conor McGregor played in the popularization of MMA and am grateful for having witnessed his mesmerizing rise to stardom. But I am growing seriously tired of people trying to compare every potential MMA star to ‘The Notorious’, successfully robbing them of the opportunity to create their own story. We tried to do it with Sean O’Malley (remember those video edits of comparing Sean’s knockout of Aljamain Sterling to Conor KOing Jose Aldo), with Ian Garry (hey, he’s also Irish!)…
Now the MMA fanbase is attempting to do the same with Topuria, and I would really like for them to stop. Conor McGregor’s MMA legacy is set in stone and will be easily traced in generations of fighters to come. But, while Topuria, too, has benefitted from Conor paving the way, this particular brash European featherweight with chest tattoos is not McGregor (I mean, have you seen the man’s grappling?). Topuria is a testament to the evolution of the modern MMA game, a well-rounded fighter who’s bringing the second wave of popularity for the sport of mixed martial arts in Europe. So let’s allow him to create his own legacy, and write his unique story which, for all the triumphs and accomplishments, has only just begun… I have a feeling it’s going to be a very interesting one.
In conclusion:
This article does not claim to provide factual information on the mindset, past (or even present) experiences of the first-ever Georgian and Spanish UFC champion, Ilia Topuria. My aim was never to generalize or make assumptions about any nations, cultures, or ethnic groups mentioned above. Neither am I arrogant enough to believe that I can provide any substantial scientific information on the Basque-Georgian linguistics, historical connections between the two Iberias, etc.
At the end of the day, I’m just a girl from Georgia, who 7 years ago fell in love with this crazy, violent, beautiful sport, and has been doing everything in her power to see it grow and blossom. And if minor knowledge, combined with some research and personal insight can help someone better understand the enigma that is Ilia Topuria, the 5th man ever to hold the UFC featherweight title… Well, I’ll consider my mission accomplished.
