VIDEO: Former UFC champion puts rocks in his glove before sparring with Ilia Topuria

Ilia Topuria He is undefeated in MMA. Photo: Reproduction/X

Merab Dvalishvili He showed that, in addition to his incredible resilience inside the octagon, he also has a great sense of humor outside of it. The Georgian took Ilia Topuria laughing after attempting to "harden" his strikes even more before sparring with the current UFC lightweight champion (up to 70,3 kg).

Through his social media, the former UFC bantamweight champion (up to 61,2 kg) posted a lighthearted video in which he appears putting stones inside his glove before a training session with... Ilia TopuriaThe scene, of course, ended with the two fighters bursting into laughter.

 

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Topuria already has plans for her return to the octagon.

While having fun during training, Ilia Topuria He also has a well-defined future within the UFC. The organization's undisputed lightweight champion has been away from fighting since announcing a break until the end of the first quarter of 2026, citing personal reasons. However, "El Matador's" return already has a defined timeframe.

Last Friday (16), in response to a fan on X (formerly Twitter), Topuria revealed that she intends to return to the octagon between April and June.The statement excited fans, who began speculating about possible opponents. When asked if he would face someone... Arman TsarukyanThe Georgian-Spanish fighter was direct and said that his next opponent will come from the main event of... UFC 324.

According to Topuria, the winner of the duel between Justin gaethje e Paddy Pimblett, who will face off on January 24th in Las Vegas (USA) for the interim lightweight title, will be the next to challenge for his undisputed title. Check out the fight card for event number 324 below (subject to change).

UFC 324 fight schedule

MAIN CARD

Light weight (up to 70,3 kg.): Justin gaethje x Paddy Pimblett – Fight for the belt

Bantamweight (up to 61,2 kg): Sean O'Malley x song yadong

Heavyweight (up to 120,2 kg): Waldo Cortes Acosta x Derrick Lewis

Featherweight (up to 65,7 kg.): arnold allen x Jean Silva

PRELIMINARY CARD

Flyweight (up to 56,7kg): Natalie Silva x Roje Namajunas

Bantam weight (up to 61,2 kg.): Umar Nurmagomedov x Deiveson Figueiredo

Average weight (up to 83,9 kg): Ateba Gautier x Andrey Pulyaev

Light heavyweight (up to 93 kg): Nikita Krylov x Modest Bukauskas

Flyweight (up to 56,7kg): Alex Perez x Charles Johnson

Light weight (up to 70,3 kg): Michael Johnson x Alexander Hernandez

Heavyweight (up to 120,2 kg): Josh Hokit x Denzel Freeman

Bantam weight (up to 61,2 kg.): Ricky Turcios x Cameron Smotherman

Welterweight (up to 77 kg): Adam Fugitt Ty Miller