2 min readILIA TOPURIA SAYS he considers himself to be a boxer.
Respectfully, that’s only considering part of his vast skillset. The 29-year-old Georgian-Spanish athlete is arguably the UFC’s brightest star, and one of the top MMA fighters in the world at any weight class. He’s a black belt in Brazilian jiu-jitsu with a background in Greco-Roman wrestling who has transformed into a dangerous striker. Yes, out of Topuria’s 17 MMA victories, seven have come via knockout. But he’s got eight submissions under his (championship) belt, besting his KO mark.
He doesn’t forget his grappling background, either. “ I’ve built an aggressive boxing style around my jiu-jitsu,” Topuria tells Men’s Health. Rather than being just one type of fighter, he’s a balanced, well-disciplined athlete who can win in multiple ways.
Topuria has never been beaten in an MMA bout—and he’s held UFC titles in two weight classes since joining the promotion in 2020. He took the Featherweight championship in 2023, then jumped up to Lightweight and won the title in 2025. He’ll take on his first title defense against Justin Gaethje, a UFC veteran with a 27-5 record, at the Freedom 250 UFC event being held at the White House on June 14.
Ahead of the matchup, Topuria opened up one of his training sessions to the MH crew to share a look at his regimen. “Usually, I don’t like to know what the training session is going to look like,” he says. “I like to be surprised.” He usually takes on two separate blocks per day, with technique training in the morning and more physical training and conditioning in the evening. This session is a mix of both, with some pad work mixed in with cardio-building footwork ladders.
Follow along to watch the intense fight training ahead of the big bout.
Ilia Topuria’s MMA Title Training Session
Warmup
Neck Rolls/Mat Exercises
Jump Rope
Agility Ladder
Workout
Band-Resisted Shadowboxing
Striking Drills
Pad Work
Technical Sparring
Bag Work
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Brett Williams, NASM-CPT, PES, a senior editor at Men's Health, is a certified trainer and former pro football player and tech reporter. You can find his work elsewhere at Mashable, Thrillist, and other outlets.
