Ilia Topuria is not hiding his confidence ahead of the main event at UFC Casa Branca , scheduled for June 14th. The Spaniard is set to face Justin Gaethje in a fight that unifies the interim and undisputed lightweight (up to 70,3 kg) titles. Even with three months to go before the event, 'El Matador' has already added a victory to his professional record.
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In an Instagram post, Ilia Topuria announced the fight with a poster promoting the bout. However, in the caption, he gave away a spoiler. Simply put, the undefeated Spaniard, with 17 wins, anticipated the result by writing '18-0', accompanied by a red rose emoji, a traditional element in his victory celebrations in the octagon.
Ilia Topuria celebrated prematurely at the UFC.
Ilia Topuria 's extreme confidence for his fights in the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) is nothing new. The Spaniard has even been involved in some curious situations before even stepping into the octagon.
On the morning of June 28, 2025, hours before facing Charles do Bronx in the main event of UFC 317 , 'El Matador' attended a victory party organized by his team. Later, Topuria confirmed the confidence he demonstrated by knocking out the Brazilian and winning his second belt in the organization.
Topuria celebrates her victory over @CharlesDoBronxs before the fight even happens 🛑 🥊 🤔
"Thank you for celebrating the victory with me" #UFC317 #TopuriavsOliveira pic.twitter.com/85GTtTEJKU
— Apostaganha.bet.br (@apostaganhabet_) June 28, 2025
Ilia Topuria ranks knockouts over UFC legends
Featherweight champion Ilia Topuria was one of the recipients of a bonus at UFC 308 / Photo: Instagram UFC
Ilia Topuria is experiencing one of the best winning streaks ever recorded by an MMA athlete in the sport's recent history. The Spaniard knocked out Alexander Volkanovski at UFC 298 and won the featherweight title (up to 65,7 kg). He then defended the title against Max Holloway at UFC 308 , again by knockout.
Finally, at UFC 317 , 'El Matador' further expanded his legacy by knocking out Charles Oliveira and also winning the lightweight title, becoming a two-time champion of the organization.
Ilia Topuria dreams of facing Islam Makhachev in the UFC.
Ilia Topuria and Islam Makhachev are big names in the UFC. Photo: SUPER LUTAS montage.
Before his fight against Justin Gaethje was announced, Ilia Topuria was rumored to be a possible rival for Islam Makhachev's welterweight title (up to 77 kg). Although the fight was never officially confirmed, this was the desire of the Spaniard and his team.
According to coach Javi Climent, the idea was discussed internally. In a recent interview with reporter Álvaro Colmenero, the coach revealed that the fight against the Russian was seen as a major goal for Topuria within the UFC.
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