Monday morning. Rush hour traffic. Opening up the office for another day. Savouring the silence before it all begins.

And then comes the first swing.

Meetings, shadow boxing, paperwork, an hour on the treadmill. The terminology that’s interchangeable in Ilia’s world of business. A world with no separation. Not one person in the office and another in the gym. 

No matter where he is, Ilia is all business, “when you spend so long putting in the work for something, that drive just becomes second nature. Whether I’m training for the next fight or living my life outside of the octagon, my mindset is always focused on getting business done.”

Soundtracked by the echoes of printers, keyboards, the rhythms of a punch bag, Ilia builds a world that’s made for how he moves. Made for how he works. He lives in the middle of a gentleman’s approach to business and a fighter’s approach to winning. The two sides of a two-time UFC champion.

This is business through Ilia’s eyes. Something that the campaign for his Montirex capsule was designed to showcase. Not an office space that beckons you in for a long day of sitting at a computer. Instead, a place to put in the hard graft and come out on top.

Talking to us about creating the capsule, Ilia said, “I knew from the start that I wanted to be as involved as possible with creating this collection. Seeing how my ideas came to life and ended up as a collection that doesn’t just look great but performs well was a new experience that I look back on with a lot of pride.”

Coming from a background of displacement, change and a lot of hard work, Ilia has put it all out there for the life he’s built. Now, swapping the octagon for a lavish, old-world retro wood panelled office, there’s confidence and a quiet authority that have become integral to who he is.

When it comes to a uniform, Ilia’s not one to follow the rules. The three piece suit and tie hasn’t become his everyday look. Instead, he favours high-performance luxury. Pieces that are an extension of him and only push him further in the work that he does.

This collection had to feel intrinsic to Ilia’s character, while still being a natural evolution of Montirex. Merging that with Topuria’s clean, elevated sense of style resulted in both lifestyle and performance pieces that just make sense.

When we asked what the collection said about him personally, Ilia told us, “I’ve always liked things that feel clean, sharp and well made, but I’ve never been someone who needs to show off. I know where I’ve come from, and I know how hard I’ve worked to get here.” 

He added, “Being able to provide for my family, to enjoy the life I’ve built and even to care about the details of how I look and feel when I train - those things mean something to me. It’s not about luxury for the sake of it. It’s a reminder of the journey, the sacrifices and everything I’ve had to become to get to where I am today.”

Building on the Montirex Endurance collection, the training and lifestyle sets give a paired back look that straddles lifestyle and performance, with laser-cut ventilation panels for maximum breathability. It’s finished with details that are pure Topuria, including embroidered Topuria logos, pin tucked detailing and panelling.

The monochromatic colourways of the collection make them timeless pieces, showcasing Ilia’s confident but humble approach to the way he moves through life. For business or performance, step into Ilia’s shoes with the Ilia Topuria x Montirex capsule collection.