Ilia Topuria is undefeated in MMA. Photo: Reproduction 'X'/Topuriailia
No longer featherweight champion (up to 65,7kg), Ilia Topuria had to make a tough decision to give up the title of the category that dominated his rivals, in order to move up to lightweight (up to 70,3kg). In a sincere stance, the fighter explained the drama he experienced due to the severe weight cut in order to be able to compete in his former division.
“When you’re cutting weight and you can’t eat or drink water, you don’t care about material things. They give you suitcases of money, they give you all the cars you want, but you don’t really care. If they give you this little glass of water and say, ‘You can drink this and you can’t gain weight.’ I’ll give you whatever it takes, because at that moment, I’m down, I feel terrible,” Topuria told ESPN.
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As he continued speaking, Ilia reinforced his desire to live a better life, despite having already achieved his dream of becoming a champion.
“It’s like sitting naked in the middle of the street. It’s terrible. So I didn’t want to suffer anymore in any way and I didn’t want to go through that (anymore). I’ve been through that in my career, I’ve already achieved my dream of becoming world champion. I had to choose to close that chapter because I didn’t want to suffer anymore. It’s like living in the desert and I wanted to live on the beach,” he concluded.
Ilia Topuria is a former UFC featherweight champion. Photo: Reproduction/Instagram
Escalated to UFC 317, Topuria debuts in a new category already fighting for the belt. The athlete faces Charles of the Bronx on June 28 and is considered the big favorite for the match.
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