What is Ilia Topuria’s ethnicity? A more in-depth have a look at ‘El Matador’s’ cultural roots

The UFC title picture has previously been dominated by champions from the United States, Brazil, and, more recently, Russia. Newly crowned lightweight champion Ilia Topuria represents a new wave of talent from ethnic groups and nationalities that have traditionally been underrepresented in the sport of MMA. This article explores Topuria’s ethnic and cultural background, nationality and family history.

What is Ilia Topuria’s ethnicity?

Ilia Topuria is of ethnic Georgian descent. His family hails from the South Caucasus Republic of Abkhazia, which once had a substantial ethnic Georgian population.

However, during the ethnic cleansing of Georgians in Abkhazia in the 1990s, Topuria’s parents moved to Germany as refugees. Topuria was born during their time in Halle, Germany, on Jan. 21, 1997.

Despite his ethnic Georgian background, Topuria would assimilate into the Spanish culture in his teenage years. While the family moved to Georgia when Topuria was 7 years old, they later migrated to Spain after the Russo-Georgian War. Topuria has lived in Spain since he was 15 years old and now has dual citizenship of Spain and Georgia.

Georgia has a rich wrestling heritage, and Topuria took his first steps in martial arts when he started wrestling during his time in Georgia. However, he learned other forms of martial arts in Spain, ultimately transforming into a complete mixed martial artist.

To summarize, although Topuria is of ethnic Georgian descent, his cultural background is a blend of Georgian and Spanish influences, with some potential impact from his early years in Germany.

Topuria follows the Christian faith and is a member of the Orthodox Christian community, which is deeply rooted in Georgian culture.

In a June 2024 interview with beIN SPORTS, Topuria acknowledged the contributions of both countries in his development as an individual and as a mixed martial artist. When asked to share his thoughts on having Spanish and Georgian identities, Topuria said:

“I feel super Spanish, I also feel Georgian, it’s like having two children. You can’t choose between them when asked. You love both equally… You can’t.” [H/t beinsports.com]

Topuria has enjoyed significant support from both Spanish and Georgian fans. In one of his previous interviews, he praised people from both countries for not limiting him to one nationality and for extending their support with an open heart.

When Ilia Topuria spoke about becoming the first Georgian-Spanish fighter to win UFC title

Ilia Topuria became the first Georgian-Spanish fighter to compete for the UFC title when he was scheduled to face Alexander Volkanovski at UFC 298.

In an interview with Aaron Bronsteter of Sportsnet, Topuria shared his thoughts about potentially becoming the first UFC champion from the region, stating:

“To be honest, I never planned this thing that I want to be the first Georgian or first Spanish fighter to become the UFC champion. But the fact that it’s happening makes me feel very proud and happy that I will be the first one. At the same time, I feel a lot of responsibility because I know that both of the countries, Spain and Georgia, they will be watching the fight.”

Check out Ilia Topuria’s comments below (3:00):

Topuria went on to capture the featherweight title at UFC 298. With his most recent win over Charles Oliveira at UFC 317, he won the lightweight title and became the 10th two-division UFC champion in history.