Aleksandre Topuria wanted to focus on helping his brother, Ilia Topuria, become champion before pursuing his own UFC career.
Aleksandre, UFC featherweight champion Ilia’s older brother, hasn’t competed since a first-round TKO win in May 2023. He was gearing up for his next fight on the Spanish regional scene, but put his career to the side when Ilia was granted a UFC title shot.
Ilia went on to knock out Alexander Volkanovski at UFC 298 in February 2024 to become champion, then decided to return the favor to his older brother. Aleksandre was planning on notching at least one more win before getting the UFC call, but his opportunity arrived earlier than expected.
“I had a fight after my (last) fight, like after four or five months I was supposed to fight, but Ilia got the UFC call to fight with Volkanovski so, I had to put everything on the side,” Topuria told Kevin Iole. “Focus on him, I did, we got the job done thank God. My plans were a little different. Make some fights outside of the UFC.
“I actually spoke with Sean Shelby and I told him I’ll do another fight outside the UFC and after that, for sure. If I do a good fight, and make the weight, and everything is going clear, he sends me the contract. But yes, after Ilia became UFC champion, he pushed to send me a UFC contract. I didn’t even talk to him. He just felt himself like I have to do it because I would do the same.”
Aleksandre (5-1 MMA, 0-0 UFC) makes his octagon debut on Saturday’s UFC 312 prelims when he takes on Volkanovski’s teammate, Colby Thicknesse (7-0 MMA, 0-0 UFC) in a bantamweight bout at Qudos Bank Arena in Sydney (ESPN+ pay-per-view, ESPN2, ESPN+).
Ilia rose to superstardom at a fast rate, but can Aleksandre do the same?
“I’m 29 years old so, I have a lot of time,” Topuria said. “I’m not focused on how far I’ll do it. Right now I’m here. I’m enjoying everything, and I’m climbing the mountain, and I don’t know how much it’s going to take, but I’ll keep going.”
For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC 312.
