Ilia Topuria (born January 21, 1997) is a Georgian-Spanish professional mixed martial artist and the current UFC Lightweight Champion. Known as “El Matador,” Topuria holds a perfect 17-0 professional record and is the first fighter in UFC history to become a two-division champion while remaining undefeated. He won the UFC Featherweight Championship by knocking out Alexander Volkanovski at UFC 298 (February 2024), defended it against Max Holloway at UFC 308 (October 2024), then moved up and won the vacant Lightweight title by stopping Charles Oliveira in the first round at UFC 317 (June 2025). A BJJ black belt fighting out of Alicante, Spain, Topuria was named 2024 Fighter of the Year by multiple outlets including UFC.com, Forbes, and The Sporting News. He is currently ranked #2 in the UFC men’s pound-for-pound rankings and is scheduled to defend his lightweight title against Justin Gaethje at UFC Freedom 250 on June 14, 2026.