THE UNDERDOG

Every champion starts somewhere, and for Ilia Topuria, it all began as the underdog. Born in Germany to Georgian parents, his interest in fighting began in greco-roman wrestling at school, eventually moving on to brazilian jiu-jitsu before finding his feet in mixed martial arts.

No matter what the sport, Topuria has always carried with him a hunger to prove people wrong, something he’s continuously done throughout each stage of his career so far. Battling against displacement, conflict, and the next to impossible odds of finding success in MMA, he fought his way to becoming a two-weight champion. While he started as the underdog, he didn’t stay that way for long.

EL MATADOR

Through blood, sweat, and tears, Ilia has risen to the top of the MMA game, scaling from a regional champion to the first Georgian and Spanish fighter to win a UFC Championship and #2 in the UFC men’s pound-for-pound rankings.

From his fighting style, grounded in precision, skill, and a finishing ability to rival any opponent, his nickname ‘El Matador’ was born, and with it, his reputation continued to build. His fighting personality came with tales that would be shared ringside and beyond, like the rose that he leaves in the centre of the ring after every fight as a sign of respect to his opponent.

THE GODFATHER

Every round, every fight, every strike felt around the world, they all led to this moment. Now, Ilia Topuria is one of the most-known names in UFC, a fact that only adds to his self-belief, also shown through his professional record which sits in his Instagram bio and goes up by 1 ahead of every fight, pre-empting his next inevitable win.

With all of his success, it made sense that El Matador’s next big step was to join the Montirex athlete team. Both Montirex and Ilia share the idea that progress is more powerful together, and through graft, unity, and belief, we’re Together Made.

To celebrate, we created a film, directed by Alexis Belhumeur, depicting every era of Ilia’s story from underdog to godfather, represented through signature playing cards. The partnership also includes a collection, co-created with Ilia and his team featuring pieces inspired by his heritage, story, and personal style.

Cada toro tiene su lidia. Every bull has its fight.

But it’s Ilia Topuria who ends it.