Ilia Topuria is set to unveil an entirely new version of himself the next time he steps into the Octagon.
Topuria’s four-year journey in the UFC has been nothing short of spectacular. With an undefeated record and an ever-expanding highlight reel, he has cemented himself as one of the brightest stars in the MMA world.
The Spaniard knocked out Alexander Volkanovski at UFC 298 in February 2024 to claim the featherweight throne. He then solidified his reign at UFC 308 in October, making history as the first fighter to ever knock out Max Holloway while successfully defending his championship.
However, last month, “El Matador” vacated his 145-pound title, setting his sights on the lightweight division in pursuit of becoming a two-division UFC champion. UFC CEO Dana White stated that Topuria chose to take this step after asserting that he had nothing left to prove at featherweight. Additionally, the growing challenge of cutting down to 145 pounds played a key role in his decision to move up a division.
But it appears that Ilia Topuria’s transformation goes beyond just a change in weight class.
Taking to X on Thursday, “El Matador” announced that he would be dropping his moniker — which translates to “The Killer” — and completely reinventing his identity for his next Octagon appearance.
“‘El Matador’ has been my ally in every fight. But next time, I’ll step into the octagon with a new identity. #NewEra,” Topuria wrote.
Ilia Topuria has been relentless in his pursuit of a title fight against reigning UFC lightweight champion Islam Makhachev. He even teased a major announcement, claiming fans “won’t believe it.”
However, Makhachev’s camp has reportedly hinted that the Dagestani champion is not ready to grant Topuria a title shot just yet. Instead, they believe he must first prove himself in a title eliminator bout against a top contender.
