Ilia Topuria

Gaethje landed the bigger shots in a strong opening round. Topuria rallied in the second, hurting Gaethje to the body and pursuing a series of submissions on the canvas. Gaethje then took control with heavy shots; after a doctor checked Topuria before the fourth, Topuria's corner stopped the fight following the round.

Key moments

• Gaethje landed the bigger shots in the first round.
• Topuria hurt Gaethje to the body and pursued submissions on the canvas in round two.
• Topuria's corner ended the fight after the fourth round, giving Gaethje the title-winning stoppage.

Topuria and Oliveira contested the UFC lightweight title at UFC 317. The championship fight ended in the opening round rather than reaching the judges. The official result recorded Topuria's knockout win at 2:27 of round one.

Key moments

• Topuria and Oliveira contested the UFC lightweight championship.
• The title fight ended in the first round rather than reaching the judges.
• The official result recorded Topuria's knockout win at 2:27 of round one.

The opening two rounds were tight, with both men trading taunts and Topuria borrowing Holloway's point-to-the-ground invitation. A clean right cross drove Holloway to the cage in round three. Topuria's left hook dropped Holloway before the hammerfists ended the fight at 1:34 of the third.

Key moments

• The opening two rounds were tight, with both men trading taunts and Topuria borrowing Holloway's point-to-the-ground invitation.
• A clean right cross drove Holloway to the cage in round three.
• Topuria's left hook dropped Holloway before the hammerfists ended the fight at 1:34 of the third.

Volkanovski won the first round on all three judges' scorecards. Topuria closed the space in round two and trapped Volkanovski on the fence. An overhand right ended the fight at 3:32 of the second round.

Key moments

• Volkanovski won the first round on all three judges' scorecards.
• Topuria closed the space in round two and trapped Volkanovski on the fence.
• An overhand right ended the fight at 3:32 of the second round.

Topuria's coming-out party as a five-round headliner.

Key moments

• Dropped Emmett and turned round two one-sided.
• Round four was the most lopsided — repeated knockdowns and sustained damage.
• One judge scored it 50–42, a card that included a rare 10–7 round.
• Emmett's durability carried him to the final bell; Topuria called for the title afterward.

Ilia Topuria submitted Bryce Mitchell with an arm-triangle choke in the second round of UFC 282.

Key moments

• Topuria hurt Mitchell during the second-round striking exchanges.
• Topuria took the fight to the canvas and advanced to side control.
• He secured the arm-triangle choke from the ground.
• The submission was recorded at 3:10 of round two.

A genuine two-way fight in London that showed Topuria's resilience as much as his finishing power. Herbert floored him with a well-timed head kick in round one, but Topuria grabbed a clinch, survived, and came back in round two to put Herbert out with a three-punch combination against the cage.

Key moments

• Herbert landed a head kick that sent Topuria to the canvas in round one.
• Topuria used the clinch and grappling savvy to recover after the knockdown.
• In round two he backed Herbert to the fence and a three-punch combination put him out cold at 1:07.
• Earned a Performance of the Night bonus for the finish.

Hall brought his signature Imanari rolls and leg-lock hunting, but Topuria — a jiu-jitsu black belt himself — navigated the unusual guard and unloaded ground strikes to finish Hall late in the first round, handing the submission specialist a rare KO loss.

Key moments

• Hall went for his trademark Imanari rolls and heel-hook attempts throughout the round.
• Topuria's own grappling credentials let him pass through the leg-lock threats without panic.
• Late in round one he landed a grounded flurry that forced the stoppage at 4:47.
• Became the first fighter to stop Hall by knockout inside the Octagon.

Topuria announced himself to the broader UFC audience with a showcase performance in his second Octagon outing. He dug repeatedly to the body early, hurting Jackson with an uppercut against the cage, then landed an overhand right over a Jackson left hook to secure the first-round knockout.

Key moments

• Targeted the body relentlessly in the opening minute, setting up the head shots.
• A body uppercut hurt Jackson and pinned him against the fence.
• An overhand right over Jackson's left hook landed flush and ended the fight at 2:38.
• The body-to-head pattern would become a Topuria trademark in the UFC.

Topuria's UFC debut — a short-notice replacement booking on Fight Island — went the distance in a gritty three-rounder. He controlled the grappling and grind but Zalal kept it competitive, even threatening with a guillotine choke in the third. All three judges scored it 29–28 for Topuria.

Key moments

• Stepped in as a short-notice replacement for Seung Woo Choi on nine days' notice.
• Secured takedowns and mounted positions in rounds one and two.
• Zalal nearly submitted him with a guillotine choke attempt late in round three.
• Won a 29–28 unanimous decision to make his UFC debut at 9-0.

Goncalves dropped him with a head kick early, but Topuria clinched, recovered, and then landed a massive overhand right that put Goncalves out cold.

Key moments

• Goncalves dropped Topuria with a head kick in the opening minutes.
• Topuria used the clinch to buy time and regain his footing.
• An overhand right knocked Goncalves unconscious at 3:42 of round one.

Topuria's Brave CF debut in Bogotá, Colombia lasted barely over a minute. He caught Gomez in a triangle armbar and finished quickly, earning the event's Best Performance award.

Key moments

• Brave CF promotional debut in Bogotá, Colombia.
• Secured a triangle armbar finish in just 1:15 of round one.
• Awarded Best Performance of the Night for the submission.

Topuria was matched against Bouland for the vacant Cage Warriors Bantamweight Championship in Antwerp but came in 4.4 lb over the limit, making him ineligible to win the belt. He won anyway — catching Bouland in a D'arce choke and squeezing him unconscious inside 90 seconds — but the title remained vacant.

Key moments

• Booked for the vacant Cage Warriors Bantamweight title but missed weight by 4.4 lb.
• Finished Bouland with a D'arce choke at 1:13 of round one.
• Despite the dominant win the belt stayed vacant due to the weight miss.
• The Cage Warriors Bantamweight title was later awarded to Jack Shore.