SUMMARY
- Alexander Volkanovski will defend his title against Ilia Topuria in the main event at UFC 298.
- Ilia Topuria's girlfriend, Giorgina Uzcategui, has supported him in his UFC journey.
Ilia Topuria is a professional mixed martial artist from Alicante, Spain. Ilia Topuria, aka ‘El Matador’, currently competes in the featherweight division of the UFC, where he is the #3 ranked featherweight in the division. The Spanish-born striker is 27 years old and is undoubtedly one of the most exciting fighters on the UFC roster.
‘El Matador’ has been professionally fighting in MMA since 2018. But it wasn’t until October 2020 that Topuria made his UFC debut. In his professional MMA career, Ilia Topuria has bested every fighter he has stepped inside the cage with. He holds a professional record of 14-0-0, including six UFC wins and 12 finishes. He won his most recent fight against Josh Emmett via a unanimous decision.
The undefeated featherweight contender looks ahead to taking the biggest step of his career. On February 17, 2024, Topuria is scheduled to go up against someone who has already made it into UFC folklore as perhaps the greatest-ever featherweight the promotion has seen in its long history. Alexander ‘The Great’ Volkanovski will defend his title against the Spaniard in the main event at UFC 298.
The featherweights fight for gold next month!! 🏆
The official poster for #UFC298 is here! pic.twitter.com/rgxDHyi3PX
— UFC (@ufc) January 16, 2024
Before the event gets underway, UFC‘s YouTube channel has posted the ‘UFC 298 countdown- Full Episode Premiere’. The 47-minute-long video goes through the fighter’s camps and their personal lives to build an emotional connection with their fanbase. In this video, fans have been able to see Ilia Topuria’s support system and what helped him become a better human being.
Ilia Topuria showers praise on girlfriend Giorgina Uzcategui for supporting him in his UFC journey
Ilia Topuria seems like the type of guy one would not want to mess with. All in all, like most MMA fighters, he carries on his exterior a face of unquivering ruthlessness when inside the octagon. But Topuria, like most people, does have a soft side and a safe place. And that is none other than his girlfriend, Georgina Uzcategui.
While talking to the UFC cameras, Ilia Topuria called Giorgina, “[One of the best gifts God gave me (translated from Spanish].” The video showed Ilia Topuria enjoying a romantic dinner with his girlfriend, where both of them opened up about each other.
Giorgina Uzcategui expressed her feelings about Ilia’s dream, saying, “It’s Ilia’s dream to become the world champion, and I have zero doubts about it. It’s already done. It’s just a matter of time.” Furthermore, even Ilia talked about his support system, and she has been there for him and made him a better person.
Topuria said, “She’s super helpful. She helps me in so many ways.” He went on to say, “She helps me realize the best version of myself”. It sure is nice to see the 27-year-old have the support system one needs to perform at their best. Fans will hope that his girlfriend’s unwavering support further transcends into his performances and that he does complete his dream in California against Volkanoski.
How did Ilia Topuria meet Giorgina Uzcategui?
Ilia Topuria and Giorgina Uzcategui Badell share a strong bond filled with love and respect for each other. But how did the couple meet each other for the very first time? As per the Spanish fighter himself, he met the love of his life at a dinner party. In the UFC 298 countdown video, Topuria shared the first time he met Giorgina.
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He said, “I met Giorgina at a dinner party. I saw her and said, ‘What a beautiful girl!'” Giorgina is a businesswoman by profession. It is not known publicly for exactly how long the two of them have been together. But judging by their social media posts, it has been more than a year.
Giorgina shared how she knew little of Ilia Topuria before getting to know him better. She expressed, “I actually didn’t follow the sport or anything like that. Then I was seeing the videos of him on YouTube. I was like, this is another person. Like, how is it possible? He’s so sweet, and then he’s almost killing people.”
Ever since then, Giorgina and Ilia have grown into a compatible couple, expressing their affection on social media from time to time. Giorgina, who most definitely is El Matador’s biggest well-wisher, will be cheering for her man when he takes on Alexander Volkanovski on February 17, 2024, at the Honda Center in Anaheim, California.