Ilia Topuria reveals untold story from her past and admits to fears before her UFC success.

Ilia Topuria In training. Photo: Reproduction/Instagram.

Ilia Topuria He opened his heart by recalling difficult moments from his childhood and revealed a little-known side of his journey before fame in the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC). In a recent statement, the current lightweight champion (up to 70,3 kg) recounted being a victim of bullying at school and having to deal with fearful situations during his youth.

In an interview with Charla Adictiva, Topuria said that the school environment was marked by frequent conflicts, which often forced him to assert himself in front of other children, even though he didn't have an aggressive profile outside of sports. The Georgian emphasized that he had always been more reserved and averse to confrontations, which made these situations even more challenging.

“We suffered bullying at school. There were constant confrontations with other children, and often you need to stand up for yourself. I was always a boy who didn't like confrontation in the street, but sometimes you have to face that kind of situation, and I was scared,” he revealed. Ilia Topuria in an interview.

🥺 Ilia Topuria reveals that he was bullied when he was a child and was always afraid.

"We were bullied at the school. There was constant confrontation with the kids at the school, and you have to stand up for yourself a lot of the time.

I was always a kid who didn't like… pic.twitter.com/LwAlhXSiJg

— Home of Fight (@Home_of_Fight) March 30, 2026

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Despite the difficulties, the current champion managed to overcome obstacles and transform negative experiences into fuel for his evolution inside and outside the octagon. Today, established as one of the leading names in world MMA, Topuria sees his story as an example of overcoming adversity.

Ilia Topuria's current situation

The former Ultimate featherweight champion (up to 65,8 kg) has a fight scheduled against Justin gaethjeThis is his lightweight title defense. The fight takes place at UFC White House on June 14th in Washington DC (USA).