It’s a running joke on my podcast that I host along with Brian Campbell that I’m an Ilia Topuria booster. It’s little more than gentle ribbing, but there is an assumption in the jokes that my enthusiasm for Topuria is a bit over the top and perhaps out of place relative to who he is as a fighter or what he’s accomplished.
After UFC 317, the jokes won’t go away, but I’m not sure they’re going to work as well anymore.
To put it plainly, Topuria’s win at UFC 317 is a game changer. He viciously knocked out former champion Charles Oliveira in under three minutes in the first round. The win isn’t just part of the best three-fight win streak in the sport’s history, but an affirmation of his undeniable ascendancy to the top of mixed martial arts.
Topuria’s self confidence has proven to be irritating to a segment of fans, which has made them slow to recognize his considerable ability. Worse, in order to prove himself, he’s had to face not merely some of the best fighters to ever do it, but beloved figures within the sport. This further entrenched dismissiveness or irritation, especially as he has destroyed them all fight by fight.
After Saturday, however, the worm has turned. There is simply no denying who Topuria is anymore: arguably the best fighter in the sport, the UFC lightweight champion (his second weight class title) and now the face of MMA as it’s most dynamic, revelatory talent. At just 28, he’s done the nearly impossible and is on a trajectory to being an all-time great. The Georgian-Spaniard is a mix of ‘mystic’ Conor McGregor’s impossible predictions coming true with light heavyweight Jon Jones’s overwhelming dominance. He is one of, if not the, best punchers MMA has ever seen. He is also almost certainly going to be a massive star for the UFC.
You are watching history being made. Topuria is a generational talent on a generational run. For all of the reluctance to accept who he is, Topuria has given skeptics or slowpokes no quarter to hide. No one who has accomplished what he has can be denied.
The good news is his rise is exactly what MMA needs right now. His victory is one for the fans and the sport itself. How far that can be pushed in 2025 remains a bit unclear, but is a welcome development. Either way, he’s special in every way a MMA fighter can be. What he’s doing will be remembered as a benchmark for achievement. While it took a while for the acceptance to set in, there’s no going back now.
This is the era of Ilia Topuria. Long may he reign.
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