"I won't be fighting in the first quarter of next year. I'm going through a difficult moment in my personal life. I want to focus on my children and resolve this situation as soon as possible,"
"I don't want to hold up the division. The UFC will make the matchups needed, and as soon as the matters are resolved I'll let the UFC know I'm ready to begin my return."
"Topuria did not touch on what the difficult moment pertained to, however in recent months, rumors have circulated about ongoing martial troubles with wife Giorgina Uzcategui Badell. Earlier this year, the couple seemingly scrubbed photos with one another from their respective social media accounts."
"Topuria (17-0) won the UFC's featherweight championship by defeating Alexander Volkanovski in 2024, and defended it later that year against Max Holloway. This past June, he knocked out Charles Oliveira to claim the promotion's 155lb belt, which had been vacated by Islam Makhachev- who recently captured welterweight gold."
Ilia Topuria announced a pause in his fighting career and confirmed he will not fight in the first quarter of next year. He stated he is going through a difficult moment in his personal life and wants to focus on his children and resolve the situation. He said he does not want to hold up the division and that the UFC will make matchups as needed, and that he will notify the promotion when ready to return. He did not specify the nature of the issue, though recent months have seen rumors of troubles with his wife. Topuria has two young children and a 17-0 record.
Read at Cageside Press
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