Topuria reveals he nearly skipped his first pro fight out of fear in 2015

Ilia Topuria, the undefeated UFC featherweight and lightweight champion, has revealed he came close to pulling out of his professional debut in 2015, overwhelmed by nerves at just 18 years old against a far more experienced opponent.

Speaking on the DeepCuts with VicBlends podcast, Topuria described the pre-fight anxiety that gripped him before he faced Francisco Aspirilla — a fighter who already had seven professional bouts to his name.

“I was so scared for my first professional fight,” Topuria said. “I was like, ‘Why didn’t I study? What am I doing here?’ I was so scared but at the same time so motivated… It was so weird. I went through hell, I remember, that day. I was about to stay in the backstage. I had that thought. And he had way more experience than me. I was 18 years old at that time.”

Despite the self-doubt, Topuria stepped out and submitted Aspirilla via triangle choke in the first round — the first of what would become a relentless run of finishes. The Georgian-Spaniard stopped all eight of his opponents before making his UFC debut, going past the opening round only once across that stretch.

The contrast between that frightened teenager and the fighter Topuria has since become is stark. In his last three performances, he knocked out Alexander Volkanovski to claim the UFC featherweight title, stopped Max Holloway to defend it, then moved up a weight class and knocked out Charles Oliveira to capture the lightweight belt — all finishes, all emphatic.

Now 17-0, Topuria will put the lightweight title on the line against interim champion Justin Gaethje at UFC White House on June 14.