Ilia Topuria might not be long for the UFC. | Getty/UFC
Ilia Topuria doesn’t plan on having a lengthy MMA career.
While Topuria (17-0) rapidly shot to stardom, he has always been economical with his career, never fighting more than twice a year. “El Matador” won the UFC lightweight title this past June and will be on a hiatus till the summer of 2026 due to personal reasons. Amit speculations of early retirement, Topuria recently revealed that he might not stay very long in MMA.
Topuria has never made a secret of his plans to transition to boxing after he hangs up his MMA gloves.