UFC fans may know a lot about the upcoming UFC 298 main eventer, Ilia Topuria’s fight affairs. But all of them can’t claim that they have a similar volume of information about his origins. The UFC contains fighters from all over the world, which often confuses fans of their nationality and ethnicity. So here are the details of the country the upcoming UFC featherweight title challenger, Ilia Topuria, hails from along with some more information about his roots.
Ilia Topuria: Nationality
UFC events have been graced by several noted celebrities to date. But the presence of the Spanish soccer icon Sergio Ramos, during Ilia Topuria’s fight at UFC Jacksonville on 24 June 2023 provided fans with an idea about Topuria’s nationality. Well, much like Ramos, Topuria also holds a Spanish nationality.
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But several fans may be taken aback by the fact that he wasn’t born in Spain. Topuria’s family was living in Halle Westfalen, Germany, during the time of his birth in 1997. However, after a couple of relocations, ‘El Matador’ finally arrived in Spain at the age of 15.
He has been living and training in the Spanish city of Alicante since then. But even after knowing all this, several fans may be confused about whether his roots belong to Germany or some other country.
Ilia Topuria: Roots and Ethnicity
‘El Matador’s’ parents may have been living in Germany at the time of his birth. But reports say that both of them are of Georgian descent. Still, the UFC featherweight has only spent about eight years in his native country. After being born in Halle Westfalen, Germany, Topuria’s family continued to live there till he was seven. They relocated back to their native country of Georgia and stayed there till Topuria was fifteen.
But after their last relocation to Spain, Topuria’s family seems to have settled down pretty much. He has also spent the best part of his training at Climent Club in Alicante, Spain. Topuria is also a Spanish by heart. He has donned both the Georgian and Spanish flags multiple times, showcasing that his love for Spain is nowhere less than his affinity towards his native land.
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Hence, it’s quite apparent that he will have a plethora of Spanish fans cheering for him during his UFC 298 bout. They will hope that Topuria colors the UFC featherweight title in Spanish, red-yellow-red, for the first time in the history of the promotion. But with the Australian, Alexander Volkanovski standing against him, things are nowhere going to be easy for ‘El Matador’ on the night of February 17.
