In the UFC, a fighter’s nickname isn’t just something Bruce Buffer yells before the bell-it’s part of their brand, their persona, and sometimes, their legacy. Think “The Notorious” and your mind immediately jumps to Conor McGregor.
Emiliano Zapata
The Origin of "El Matador"
Topuria was born in Halle Westfalen, Germany, to Georgian parents. At a young age, the family moved to Alicante, Spain, where they have lived ever since.
Ilia and his brother Aleksandre started their first MMA steps at Climent Club, where Ilia started being called El Matador as a reference to the Spanish tradition of bullfighting and given the fact that Topuria has lots of power in his hands and exhibits great skill on the ground.
“El Matador came from my gym, the Climent Club, many years ago. At first, they started calling me that and I didn’t like it very much because I associated it a lot with bulls and cruelty to animals. And I’m a pretty sentimental person about all that."
However, in the end, he says that he has come to embrace the moniker, which highlights his finishing skills in the octagon.
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The Transition to "La Leyenda"
Formerly known as “El Matador,” Topuria publicly announced that going forward he is now known as “La Leyenda,” which translates to “The Legend” in English.
At a ceremony in Toledo, Spain-where he was honored with a street named after him (Paseo Ilia Topuria)- the Spaniard revealed he’ll now go by “La Leyenda” (The Legend).
The 28-year-old has put together an impress résumé in his pro career, going 16-0 (including a perfect mark in eight UFC appearances) and winning the UFC featherweight title. In his past two championship bouts, he scored incredible knockouts of Alexander Volkanovski and Max Holloway. Topuria is the only fighter to defeat Volkanovski in a 145-pound contest, and the only fighter to finish Holloway via strikes.
Topuria is now set to move up to 155 pounds in chase of a second title and he is seizing the moment by rebranding himself ahead of a potential bout with Islam Makhachev.
Sonnen, however, believes it is as cringe as it sounds. On his YouTube channel, he bashed Topuria and said, “My initial plan on Ilia Topuria and the changing from ‘El Matador’ to legend, my initial plan was to bury him."
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Explaining his reasons for saying so, the former middleweight contender added, “because I despise the idea, not to mention I don’t get it."
“I don’t believe you get to give yourself a nickname."
Nicknames in the UFC: More Than Just Catchy Monikers
Nicknames in the UFC are more than just catchy monikers; they often encapsulate a fighter’s persona or fighting style. Middleweight contender Costa transitioned from “Borrachinha,” meaning “Little Rubber,” to “The Eraser” upon entering the UFC. Another example is lightweight veteran Bobby Green, who, after a series of personal and professional transformations, officially changed his name to “King Green” in 2024. It didn’t particularly work out either, since he got choked out by Paddy Pimblett at UFC 304 - the same day he debuted the name.
The Complex Identity of Ilia Topuria
Despite being only the 5th man to ever hold the UFC featherweight title in the division’s 14-year history, to many Ilia Topuria remains an enigma. People watch him kick off a football (yes, we call it football) game at the most legendary stadium in the world, be greeted like a hero and even granted citizenship by the prime minister of Spain, then get absolutely mobbed upon stepping off a private jet in Georgia… Yet, the fans can’t fully grasp the connection between the rose-carrying title challenger who demonstrated an unprecedented level of composure against one of the greatest fighters to grace this planet, and the German-born Georgian-Spaniard berserker who threw a bottle of hand sanitizer at Paddy Pimblett.
The main point of disconnect between Topuria and the Western audience seems to be the language barrier - most of his early interviews are done in either Spanish or Georgian, so it’s hard to trace the progression of a teenage immigrant to the flashy guy who’s friends with the world’s biggest sports stars, like Sergio Ramos, and Rafael Nadal.
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Born in Halle Westfalen to Georgian parents, Ilia Topuria spent the first seven years of his life living in Germany, before the family decided to move back to their country of origin. However, in his early interviews, Topuria mentions that he doesn’t feel much of a connection to Germany, which is understandable - he was way too young to form any kind of a real attachment to his surroundings. This explains why he doesn’t consider himself German, nor does he carry the black, red, and yellow tricolor to the octagon.
The story of Topuria’s two other allegiances - Georgian and Spanish - is a bit more complex. And while Ilia never really mentions the reason behind his family moving back to the ‘birthplace of wine’, the reality that greeted them there clearly didn’t meet their expectations.
For whatever reason, coming back to Georgia proved to not be the right move for the Topuria household. So Ilia’s parents decided to give Western Europe another chance - this time by moving to Spain. 8 years later, a 15-year-old ‘El Matador’ would join them.
When asked this question by Ariel Helwani, Topuria struggles to name a specific reason. However, no one in Georgia would even really wonder about this: for Georgian immigrants whose options are - let’s be honest - very limited, Spain remains one of the most attractive European countries.
But there’s one more reason why Georgians - and the Topurias are no different - tend to feel right at home in Spain. And that’s where things get really interesting.
The Spanish Connection
Those who have listened to Ilia’s interviews in Spanish are usually shocked to learn that he is not a Spaniard - at times, Topuria seems like ‘the most Spanish man alive’. Well, that’s because Georgians and Spaniards are actually quite similar. Culturally, and even in terms of temperaments and general societal dynamics, we’re quite alike. Last year, for example, I had the pleasure of living in Andalusia for a little bit and was shocked at how similar people’s attitudes were to those at home in Georgia.
Despite the territories being located 2500+ miles apart, ancient Greeks and Romans called both Spain and Georgia the same word - “Iberia”. Additionally, there seems to be a close link between Georgians and Basques, an ethnic group originating from southwest France and northwest Spain. There’re even similarities in the way these two (otherwise unique) languages are constructed!
So, it would be safe to assume that Topuria has adopted so much of the Spanish behavior, speech patterns, and mannerisms partially because he moved to Spain when he was 15, and it was easy for a teenager to soak it all in (a similar thing happened to yours truly when I lived in the US at the age of 16). But also because it fit organically with his ‘default’ persona and make-up, due to certain similarities between the two countries.
So, while the newly-minted champion doesn’t feel any connection to his legal birthplace, Topuria proudly represents both Georgia (the country of his ethnic origin, where he spent most of his conscious childhood and early teens) and Spain (the country that adopted him at the tender age of 15 and gave him every opportunity to make his dreams come true). And that’s exactly why Topuria is treated like a hero in both states. Imagine being so special that two separate countries (neither of which, by the way, is lacking in famous historical figures) shower you with affection while arguing about who loves you more. To his credit, however, Topuria has regularly gone out of his way to pay equal homage to both.
The Beef with Paddy "The Baddy" Pimblett
No less puzzling than Topuria’s origin is his beef with the vocal Scouser Paddy Pimblet. What originated as a social media feud, eventually spilled over into a physical altercation, when the two men almost came to blows during the UFC 282 fight week in London. Topuria and Pimblet ran into each other at the fighter hotel where, due to being restrained from laying hands on “The Baddy”, the Georgian threw a bottle of hand sanitizer at the Brit.
But what has caused the conflict? Well, like all great wars of today, it all started with a tweet. In April 2021, while verbally sparring with another Georgian (this time a Lightweight) Guram Kutateladze, Pimblett stated that “Georgians are stupid” and he understood why the Russians are “terrorizing their lives”. These comments referred to the political tensions between Georgia and Russia that had periodically been spilling into military conflicts over the last few decades (if not centuries). With the latest war happening as recently as 2008, and the fact that, to this day, 20% of Georgia is occupied by Russia, one can understand how this would be a touchy subject.
MMA fans will remember that because of this, at one point the two UFC stars seemed to be on a collision course. The possibility briefly became even more realistic in 2022, when featherweight Topuria made his lone appearance at lightweight - the division Paddy competes in. The conflict, however, never made it to the octagon: despite being victorious in his 155 lbs debut, Ilia returned to his original weight class, where he captured the Featherweight belt a little over a month ago. Considering the trajectory of their respective careers, it feels safe to say that the two are unlikely to ever meet in the cage. But, hey, MMA was created to constantly remind people how little they know about anything… so never say ‘never.’
The Topuria Brothers
Another thing that some fans may not know about Ilia Topuria is that he has an older brother - Alexsandre - who is also a professional mixed martial artist and is in fact quite good. How good? 5-1-0, on a three-fight win streak, with all three being first-round finishes.
Until then, however, it’s an absolute delight to watch the two brothers perform, train together, and support each other on this beautiful MMA odyssey… All while pondering the possibility of a Georgian UFC dynasty - something no Georgian would even dare to dream about a short time ago.
The Conor McGregor Comparisons
Ah, the inevitable comparisons to Conor McGregor… I truly, truly despise those - but not for the reasons you might think.
I respect the role that Conor McGregor played in the popularization of MMA and am grateful for having witnessed his mesmerizing rise to stardom. But I am growing seriously tired of people trying to compare every potential MMA star to ‘The Notorious’, successfully robbing them of the opportunity to create their own story.
Now the MMA fanbase is attempting to do the same with Topuria, and I would really like for them to stop. Conor McGregor’s MMA legacy is set in stone and will be easily traced in generations of fighters to come. But, while Topuria, too, has benefitted from Conor paving the way, this particular brash European featherweight with chest tattoos is not McGregor (I mean, have you seen the man’s grappling?). Topuria is a testament to the evolution of the modern MMA game, a well-rounded fighter who’s bringing the second wave of popularity for the sport of mixed martial arts in Europe. So let’s allow him to create his own legacy, and write his unique story which, for all the triumphs and accomplishments, has only just begun… I have a feeling it’s going to be a very interesting one.