Undefeated UFC featherweight Ilia Topuria on dethroning champions Volkanovski
Ilia Topuria (14-0, fighting out of Alicante, Spain) is determined to capture his first title and remain undefeated
No. 3 UFC featherweight
Undefeated
Eight wins by submission, four via knockout
Nine first-round finishes
Black belt Brazilian jiu-jitsu
Ilia Topuria (14-0, fighting out of Alicante, Spain) is determined to capture his first title and remain undefeated
No. 3 UFC featherweight
Undefeated
Eight wins by submission, four via knockout
Nine first-round finishes
Black belt Brazilian jiu-jitsu
Category
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SportsTranscript
00:00 Hello everyone, how are you?
00:08 Ilya, obviously you consider yourself a champion already, but do you look at this fight as any different than any of your others?
00:15 Or is it just "Hey, I can go in there, I win and I continue my momentum"?
00:18 I just prepare myself like in every fight. I prepare myself for a difficult fight.
00:28 I'm ready and prepared to be victorious on February 17th.
00:33 I don't see any difference to be honest. It's like a normal opponent I got on my way.
00:41 Obviously you consider yourself to be the better fighter than Alex, but what area do you think you will show how much better you are than him?
00:48 Everywhere. I'm better than him everywhere.
00:53 Do you think, maybe outside of yourself, he's the greatest featherweight of all time? Obviously there's Jose Aldo, there's Max Harman...
00:59 Yeah, he's going to stay in the featherweight book for a while, that's for sure.
01:04 He will be remembered as one of the greatest in the featherweight division.
01:10 He was a great champion.
01:14 He's obviously heard some of the things you've been saying, he saw your Instagram bio and he wants you to go and personally change it should you lose this Saturday.
01:22 Do you think he's taking your words a little bit too seriously? Do you think he's using them to motivate himself?
01:26 What do you make of his reaction to what you're saying?
01:29 To be honest, what I do in my Instagram bio, that's my thing. I don't know why he's looking at my Instagram to be honest.
01:38 I never saw his Instagram. Never. If I saw something about him it was because the people around me send me.
01:46 Not because I go to his Instagram and I want him to change something personally and this and that.
01:55 How do you see this fight playing out on Saturday? How do you win the fight?
01:58 I see myself knocking him out in the first round.
02:03 If you win this fight I think you'd be the 11th male to win a UFC title with an undefeated record.
02:12 Which is obviously a huge accomplishment.
02:15 When you think about being undefeated and getting here, is that something you put a lot of pressure on yourself?
02:20 And I guess what would it mean for you to join that group of very small people who have been undefeated UFC champions?
02:25 Not at all to be honest. I don't care about that.
02:29 I just accept everything that comes to my way.
02:34 That's it. If I had to be undefeated to this long, I'm grateful about that fact.
02:42 If not, I'm never going to lose the trust in myself.
02:48 How much do you think your life is going to change if you win this?
02:51 People are talking a lot about how popular you are in Spain and these places in Europe.
02:56 To be honest, I don't care about that kind of thing.
02:59 I just want to be happy.
03:01 I'm already very happy with my life, with everything I got.
03:07 Any result is going to change my life.
03:11 I'm a happy man and I will keep being a happy man after this Saturday night too.
03:17 You know the comments you made about not wanting to give a title shot to some of these other contenders.
03:21 It seems like it's made. Jair Rodriguez and Brian Ortega are very upset.
03:25 They've done some interviews saying that they really want to fight you.
03:29 Do you think because those fights are now bigger and there will be more tension, would you consider it?
03:33 Who doesn't want to fight me right now? Who not?
03:37 I didn't become a UFC world champion yet. I have three more days to do it.
03:43 They are already calling me out. Everyone. Everyone. Why?
03:47 Because they want to fight you. And you're a big deal.
03:55 Yeah. Red Panty Knights.
03:57 If all goes well for you on Saturday night, how do you envision your reign as a UFC champion?
04:04 What did you say?
04:06 If all goes well for you on Saturday night, how do you envision your reign as a UFC champion?
04:11 As one of the greatest. As one of the greatest in the featherweight division.
04:16 And they're going to remember me too. As they're going to remember Jose Aldo in the division.
04:22 Conor McGregor. To Alexander Volkanovsky. I'm going to put myself in that book.
04:28 Obviously you represent Spain and Georgia. There's a big Georgian connection specifically on this card with Murav Dwalishvili.
04:34 So what have you been able to talk to Murav leading up to this fight?
04:37 How do you guys feel going into this one?
04:39 We just plan to show up on February 17th and get what's ours, right? The victory.
04:50 And to some in Spanish, quickly. You mentioned your desire to fight in Santiago Bernabéu.
04:55 If it was your decision, who would you like to fight in Santiago Bernabéu?
04:59 If it was my decision, I would fight Conor McGregor. That would be the fight I would aim for and the one I would aim for.
05:08 Just a question that was asked. You mentioned the intention of actually fighting in Santiago Bernabéu.
05:15 It's a really big stadium. Who would you fight there? And I think I would put Conor McGregor.
05:20 That's the fight that I would make at the Santiago Bernabéu.
05:23 And what is your message to all your fans in Latin America?
05:30 The message is simple. I'm always grateful for the support that they're giving me.
05:38 And to trust in themselves. There are a lot of people around them that will tell you that they can't do it.
05:46 They will always doubt you, but the only thing you need to get anything in this life is to trust in yourself.
05:54 Work and everything you can imagine is possible.
05:58 The message is gratitude and being thankful. Thanks for all the support and all the faith you have in me.
06:05 And the message I would have for them is to trust yourselves. Surround yourself with people that trust you as well.
06:11 People around you might say they don't trust you, they think you can't do it, but the only person you need to trust to get things done is yourself.
06:21 And keep doing it.
06:25 We were supposed to see you in Anaheim a couple years ago and unfortunately you weren't able to fight.
06:30 I'm curious, how have you changed as a fighter in the last two years and what did you learn from that experience that you were not able to fight here?
06:37 I learned a lot since that moment I had a weight cut issue. This time I had the best weight cut I ever had in my life.
06:46 So I have improved a lot in every aspect of my life as a professional, as a person.
06:53 And what does it mean to be able to return to this particular venue where you couldn't fight to fight for the title?
06:58 It means a lot because of the last bad experience I had here and now I have the chance to fight for the title and become a UFC world champion here in Anaheim.
07:08 It makes me feel really grateful.
07:13 Asilia, the most important moment in the history of MMA has arrived in Spain.
07:24 What responsibility do you feel? You know you're going to paralyze the country.
07:29 There are going to be a lot of people who have never seen a fight looking at your fight against Volkanovski. What do you think about it?
07:36 The moment has arrived of the greatest moment in the history of MMA in Spain.
07:43 It is such a great responsibility. The country is going to be stopping. People who haven't watched the fight are going to stop to watch you. What do you think about that?
07:52 It is the same responsibility I have had up until now. Nothing changes. I have had the same responsibility to get to this point of the country being paralyzed to watch my fight.
08:05 If I'm being honest, I don't put extra pressure on myself. I'm just focused on my fight. I'm grateful for the fact that my movements are causing this type of impact but I can't put extra pressure on myself.
08:24 The same level of responsibility that I have approached every single fight coming up to this.
08:29 The level of responsibility and work that I put in to actually get to the moment of now being this moment that everybody is watching my fight.
08:36 I do thank everyone for the support and being there but I don't put that pressure on myself thinking of such an important moment.
08:47 You said you were going to focus on your fight but that is because of the weight cut. I wanted to know if you could update us on how you are doing at the moment.
08:55 The weight cut that I have had up until now, I can give the weight tonight. I am already perfect for nothing.
09:03 I have done a phenomenal job. I have always mentioned that it has not been the hardest training camp I have had up until now.
09:20 All the camps I have had have been very hard but without a doubt the most professional I have had up until now.
09:33 This morning I was talking with the team and Josh Emmett and I prepared in a phenomenal way but comparing the camp I had to this one is amateur to professional.
09:44 The road to glory actually goes through your weight cut. Can you elaborate a little bit on that?
09:48 It has been the best weight cut I have had in my life. I could actually go into scale today and tonight and make weight.
09:57 I actually commented with the team on how well this has gone. An amazing weight cut. This has not been the hardest camp I have had.
10:07 I have had harder camps such as the one with Josh Emmett. That was something I prepared so hard for.
10:13 I was talking to the team today and the way I prepared for Josh Emmett as far as the weight cut and the way things are going, it is almost like amateur compared to professional.
10:28 I would like to know if you think Volkanovski's strategy will go through the fight. I have heard a lot of analysis, especially from the United States,
10:37 which said that Volkanovski's wrestling could be superior to yours or at least that it could be imposed in this fight.
10:45 I would like to know what you think about Volkanovski's fight and if you think that this strategy will push you into the fight and into the blockade in the fight.
10:53 Every time I have faced my opponents in the past, they always said that they were better than me on the ground, in wrestling or standing.
11:05 This will never change. People will always have doubts.
11:10 But about his strategy, his strategy will be to kick me, obviously, because that is where he will have seen me kicking, moving in a circle,
11:24 combining it with the hands, then the hands with the kicks, doing wrestling work, trying to get me against the cage,
11:33 trying to take advantage of the fact that he has the experience and the cardio for the 5 assaults.
11:40 But that is the only thing he has. He has nothing else.
11:44 What does he have? He has no knockout power. He is a fighter who hits in volume.
11:50 He has no submission power because he is not a finalist fighter.
11:55 The only thing he has is running, running, kicking. He does it well, he combines everything super well.
12:01 He has been demonstrating it along his way, but I am not a Korean Zombie.
12:07 I am not the trap or the Deja-Vu. I am not the package of Ryan Ortega.
12:11 I am not the crooked nose of Max Holloway.
12:15 I am Ilia Topuria and I will crush him in the first assault in a spectacular way.
12:21 And whoever has the slightest doubt, fuck them.
12:26 A lot of people talk about the strategy and the fact that the wrestling, a lot of analysis,
12:30 talk about the wrestling being the key for him to beat you.
12:34 What do you think about that?
12:35 Well, the doubt is always going to be there.
12:37 Every single fight I have had, they have always said the same thing.
12:40 There is always somebody saying something that someone is better than I am in that.
12:45 And I will tell you about this.
12:47 Just think about the advantage that he has as a fighter.
12:51 I know what he is going to bring to the table because that is what he always brings.
12:54 So he is going to try to kick me, as we know, he has got strong kicks.
12:57 He is going to try to move around me.
12:59 He is going to try to put some hands in there and some combos.
13:01 And after the kicks, come in with some hand work and try to put some combos in.
13:06 Try to pressure me to go against the fence.
13:08 And I understand some cage work as well, but that is all he has got.
13:11 And he has done very well.
13:13 We have seen it all throughout his journey in the UFC, but that is all he has.
13:18 There is so much more for me to offer.
13:21 And I have always heard these things.
13:23 People have always said I am better than you on the ground.
13:27 I am better than you in wrestling.
13:29 I am better than you in striking.
13:30 And that does not come to fruition.
13:31 He needs to understand one thing.
13:33 He has not seen me.
13:34 He has not seen a lot of other fighters by name here that were mentioned.
13:39 I am not any of these fighters that he has faced before.
13:42 I am not any of the guys that he has faced that he has won.
13:47 I am Ilya Dupour here, and I am going to do something to him.
13:50 And I am going to finish him off.
13:52 I understand that he does not have knockout power.
13:56 I have knockout power.
13:58 He goes on volume.
13:59 That is how he wins his fights.
14:01 He is not a finisher.
14:02 When the fight goes to the ground, he is not known for finishing.
14:05 So I am a different breed, and I am going to beat him up.
14:09 And listen, if he does not believe it, if that is not what he thinks,
14:12 and whoever thinks the contrary, screw them.
14:17 Ilya Dupour here, good afternoon.
14:19 You mentioned yourself here that you mentioned that this camp was different from the one at EMET
14:23 in your fight in June, that this had been very professional,
14:26 and that the camp was amateur when you compared them.
14:29 Why? What did you do? Did you do something new? What changed? How was it?
14:34 First of all, the food. Farm to the table.
14:38 That was the first thing we did.
14:40 We changed all the food, because you know that human beings sometimes have bad habits
14:46 due to ignorance.
14:48 So in this camp we have applied many changes.
14:52 After the way we have prepared and analyzed the fight,
14:57 the time we have invested in recovery for each training,
15:02 the time we have saved in trips that before ...
15:06 There are many details that we have changed.
15:10 It is difficult to explain it in five minutes,
15:13 but I could give you a whole talk about all the changes we have made.
15:19 You mentioned that this camp compared to the one you had against Josh Emmett in certain aspects.
15:24 It was professional compared to amateur. Can you elaborate on that?
15:27 First thing was nutrition.
15:29 You talk about farm to table, you talk about looking at and studying things.
15:34 It is something that we do not know as human beings.
15:36 We do not have the knowledge for this.
15:38 Just get along with professionals.
15:41 It is time for recovery and time to the day.
15:44 It is very important for us to do that.
15:47 It is time to recover from training as well.
15:51 Another thing is the time in trips that we would take that would waste time.
15:55 There are so many different aspects, so many different elements.
15:58 I have time to talk for hours about this, so I cannot go into detail.
16:02 But there are so many small details that go into it that it would be unfair to do it in five minutes.
16:07 And one last thing here.
16:09 You came here speaking Spanish, but we all know that you are Georgian.
16:13 You are from Sierra de Guerreros, the Caucasus.
16:15 You would be the first Spanish champion, but at the same time the first Georgian champion.
16:19 In your family, your parents, your brother, your family,
16:22 being a Georgian champion of the Caucasus,
16:25 you are so united, so close, what would that mean for you?
16:31 It would mean a lot to me.
16:34 It would mean representing the true value of my family.
16:39 The work that my parents have invested, the work that I have invested,
16:43 that in the end will have its reward.
16:48 It will be something super big for me, for my family, for my countries,
16:54 as you mentioned, for Georgia, for Spain.
16:57 It's a wonderful moment.
16:59 The truth is that they were asking me if I was nervous.
17:04 I just can't be.
17:05 I visualized it.
17:07 I asked God to live all these moments.
17:10 Now, all I have left is to enjoy what I asked for.
17:15 I manifested all this myself.
17:18 I am a happy man to be able to live my dreams with my eyes open,
17:23 to have my whole family, who will actually arrive in a couple of hours.
17:28 It's the first time I'm going to have my whole family watching my fight.
17:33 These are unique moments in life that you can only get with super hard work.
17:43 These are moments that no one gives you.
17:46 So I'm super, super grateful to be able to enjoy so many details,
17:53 so many magical moments with all my people.
17:58 You talk about, we've heard you speak English, we've heard you speak Spanish.
18:01 We also represent Georgia.
18:03 What would it mean for you to be a champion, not just a champion for Spain,
18:06 but a champion for Georgia?
18:08 How does it feel to actually have your family around you?
18:10 What do they feel about this?
18:12 It would be an amazing moment.
18:13 It would be magical.
18:14 It would be just for them to be around me, to actually represent both countries.
18:19 It would mean a lot to me.
18:21 These are moments that I can't--
18:24 you talk about being nervous about this moment, about the pressures.
18:27 I can't afford to be like that.
18:29 I can't because I manifested this.
18:31 I visualized this.
18:32 I wanted this.
18:33 I've asked God to give me the opportunity.
18:35 I'm lucky to dream with my eyes open and to actually live this every day.
18:40 These are magical moments.
18:42 And to have everyone, to have the team, to have everybody here, my family,
18:46 for the first time, everybody's going to be here watching my fight.
18:49 They're arriving in a couple of hours.
18:51 So these are moments that you have to enjoy because they are earned, not given,
18:56 and they're very special to me.
19:00 Ilya, you talked about how special it was for you to be able to fight in Anaheim,
19:06 where you had that problem two years ago.
19:09 You also talked about it in English so that you could stay consistent in Spanish.
19:12 Do you think it's also a way to go back to where a big change occurred
19:17 because you said it's your best fight in the weight division,
19:20 but do you think this point would have come without what happened in 2021?
19:25 Not at all.
19:26 That's why when it happened to me, I accepted it, you know?
19:32 I didn't have any moment of depression, of having had a bad time.
19:37 Every time something negative happened to me in my life,
19:40 I always knew that there's no harm that doesn't come for good, right?
19:43 So that experience gave me a super big learning in my life.
19:50 And now being able to fight for the world championship here in the same place
19:57 where I had the problem is like a great coincidence, right?
20:01 And as I say, coincidences don't exist.
20:04 Everything happens for a reason.
20:06 After that fight that was canceled, they gave me another fight in four weeks
20:12 that was against Jai Herbert, a knockout that will stay in the UFC book forever.
20:19 After all the path I had after that, I don't know what would have happened
20:23 if I could have fought here in the end.
20:26 Maybe the path would have been different.
20:28 So I thank you for everything that happens to me in this life
20:33 and I just accept and follow my path
20:35 and I never forget who I am every time I look at myself in the mirror.
20:39 Let me talk about the experience of actually fighting here
20:41 after having kind of follow up to the question about having--
20:46 not being able to fight in Anaheim and fighting it now.
20:48 And just, yeah, it's been amazing.
20:50 If you think about this, when it happened to me, I just accepted it.
20:56 I took it as it is.
20:58 I took it and I went with it and I do not believe there is any evil
21:03 that does not generate some good coming out of it.
21:06 From that day, they were able to fight for me in four weeks.
21:10 That was against Jai Herbert.
21:11 I had a knockout that's going to be in the books of the UFC for quite some time.
21:14 And after that, look at the journey I've had that has led me to this moment here.
21:20 As it turns out, being here, fighting for a title is one great coincidence,
21:26 but I do not believe in coincidences.
21:28 So it's been really special and I don't know what would have happened
21:31 if I actually fought in Anaheim back in the day.
21:34 What I do believe is I have this great opportunity now,
21:37 and it's been an amazing experience to have been fortunate to fight here.
21:41 Thank you very much to everyone.