UFC featherweight champion Ilia Topuria decided to throw himself a little party after a career milestone.
One year ago today, Topuria (16-0 MMA, 8-0 UFC) knocked out Alexander Volkanovski to become featherweight champion at UFC 298 on Feb. 17, 2024. “El Matador” was able to dethrone Volkanovski, who had defended his title five times.
Topuria filmed a video of himself and his wife singing Happy Birthday – to his UFC title. He even blew out a candle for the belt (h/t MMA Orbit).
Ilia Topuria and his family singing happy birthday to his UFC featherweight title
Today is the year anniversary of #UFC298 when he knocked out Alexander Volkanovski to capture the gold
pic.twitter.com/2tbZdjZbS6
— MMA Orbit (@mma_orbit) February 17, 2025
Since then, Topuria notched his first title defense by becoming the first fighter to knock out Max Holloway at UFC 308 this past October. He is currently weighing out two options – a rematch with Volkanovski, or a move up to lightweight to challenge champion Islam Makhachev.
