UFC · Lightweight · #1

Ilia Topuria

“El Matador”

17-1

Record

KO/TKO wins

Sub wins

Decision wins

Next Fight

UFC 321 — Lightweight Title Fight

Aug 16, 2026

Tale of the Tape

Age

Height

5'7"

Reach

69"

Stance

Orthodox

Country

Spain / Georgia

Key Stats

4.6

Sig. Strikes Landed / Min

52%

Striking Accuracy

88%

Finish Rate

78%

Takedown Accuracy

62%

Sig. Strike Defense

Advanced Stats

Color = level vs. division

Striking

Sig. Strikes Landed / MinTOP 25%4.6

Striking AccuracyTOP 30%52%

Strikes Absorbed / MinTOP 28%2.8

Sig. Strike DefenseTOP 26%62%

Knockdowns / 15 MinTOP 10%0.9

Grappling

Takedowns / 15 Min1.5

Takedown AccuracyTOP 5%78%

Submission Attempts / 15 MinTOP 20%0.8

Win Methods

KO/TKO7 (41%)

Submission8 (47%)

Decision2 (12%)

Ilia Topuria is 17-0, and the scary part is how the wins keep escalating. The Georgian-Spaniard knocked out Alexander Volkanovski to take the featherweight title in 2024, became the first man to ever knock out Max Holloway later that year, then moved up and claimed lightweight gold. Two divisions, no defeats, and a highlight reel that keeps eating legends.

"El Matador" fights exactly like the nickname suggests: patient, poised, and lethal the instant an opening appears. The boxing is crisp and economical — no wasted motion, no wild swings — built on top of an elite grappling base honed since childhood. Opponents are forced to respect the takedown, which is precisely when the right hand arrives.

Born in Germany to Georgian parents and raised in Spain, Topuria carries two flags and the kind of self-belief that would sound absurd if he ever failed to back it up. He hasn't yet.

Currently ranked #1 at lightweight, he remains the fight everyone at 155 both wants and dreads — the biggest name in the sport's deepest division.