Ilia Topuria poses with two UFC belts after victory against Charles of the Bronx. Photo: Reproduction/Instagram.
A victory against Charles of the Bronx in the main fight of UFC 317 catapulted Ilia Topuria into the spotlight and isolated him as one of the best fighters of this generation. However, beyond the financial and media gains, winning the lightweight belt (up to 70,3 kg) forever changed the legacy of the Georgian/Spanish fighter. The tenth athlete to win titles in two different categories, El Matador is the first to achieve the feat with an undefeated record.
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After 17 professional fights, no one has stepped into the octagon to face the champion and left undefeated. In addition to Alexander Volkanovsky, Max Holloway e Charles of the Bronx, he also has triumphs against well-known sports figures such as Josh Emmet and Bryce mitchell.
Ilia Topuria has truly taken the UFC by storm #UFC317 pic.twitter.com/GLeoZo0Hax
— UFC on TNT Sports (@ufcontnt) June 30, 2025
Topuria joined forces with big names in MMA history such as Jon Jones, Randy Couture and B.J. Penn by capturing his second title. The achievement was also the culmination of one of the best winning streaks ever achieved by the sport's biggest organization on the planet. He is also expected to surpass his compatriot Merab Dvalishvili and become second in the pound-for-pound rankings in the update next Tuesday (1).
Only two of Ilia Topuria's fights went to decision
Ilia Topuria won Charles of the Bronx No. UFC 317. Photo: Reproduction/Instagram.
At just 28 years old and with 17 professional fights, Topuria is the second youngest to become a double champion, behind only Conor McGregor for a few days. Over the course of nine fights in the Ultimate, only Youssef Zalal e Josh Emmett survived Topuria's momentum and were not knocked out or finished.
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