Ilia Topuria drank wine to cut weight before UFC title run, but stopped for one reason: ‘I was partying’
Ilia Topuria has revealed that he used to sink bottles of wine to shed weight before fighting.
Typically, the beverage is viewed by many as having the opposite effect, but for ex-UFC featherweight champion Topuria, it used to work wonders.
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‘La Leyenda’ is undefeated in his entire 16-fight professional MMA career, having won UFC gold for the first time last year.
He knocked out Alexander Volkanovski at UFC 298 in February before retaining the title by handing Max Holloway his first career KO eight months later.
Topuria has since moved up ten pounds to challenge 155lbs king Islam Makhachev, though his next fight is yet to be confirmed.
The Spaniard cited that he could no longer make weight at 145lbs as one of the main driving forces behind the decision, and says he now feels stronger than ever in the lightweight division.
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Speaking to Joe Rogan, Topuria revealed how drinking lots of wine used to remarkably help with shredding those extra few pounds.
“I did it twice in my career,” he explained. “I was fighting Damon Jackson. I still had six kilos or something [to cut].”
Jackson was Topuria’s second UFC opponent, and it would only be five fights after his win over the American that the 28-year-old would KO Volkanovski.
“That’s a lot of weight to cut,” he continued. “And the guy who was taking care of my nutrition called us and told me, ‘Drink wine. Drink half a bottle of wine.’
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“I’m like, ‘You’re sure?’ ‘Yes,’ he told me, because if you drink a litre of wine, you’re gonna wake up the next day - if you don’t put anything else in your body - with two litres less.
“Because of the alcohol, it’s gonna cause dehydration. I did it, and it works. After that, I did it in my next fight.
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"But then, I was like, ‘I don’t feel good. I don’t feel good doing this.’ The weight cut was kind of crazy.
“It’s fun, because everyone is almost dying that night. I was partying with my team.
“So skinny, drinking wine, and one day after I have to face a monster in the Octagon. Experience in life.”
MMA fans are eagerly awaiting UFC CEO Dana White to announce who Topuria will meet in the Octagon next.
Topuria has reportedly been told by UFC legend Khabib Nurmagomedov, who coaches lightweight champion Makhachev, that he must fight a No.1 contender in the division before he gets his title fight.
However, Topuria added in his conversation with Rogan that he only wants to fight for the lightweight belt next.
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Former UFC champion Henry Cejudo believes Topuria should fight Paddy Pimblett next in order to set up a title fight for the winner.
Pimblett dominated Michael Chandler at UFC 314 this month and his prime position himself for a title shot at the back end of 2025 or early next year.
‘The storyline is there’ – Former UFC champion calls for Paddy Pimblett vs Ilia Topuria to grant Khabib Nurmagomedov’s wishes
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