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Ilia Topuria was bedridden with covid and had to cut 26lb before his UFC debut
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- Ilia Topuria was bedridden with covid and had to cut 26lb before his UFC debut
Photo by Jeff Bottari/Zuffa LLC
Ilia Topuria was lying in bed, nearly 30 pounds over his fighting weight and in the grips of a tough bout with covid, when the UFC called with an offer that would reshape his career.
Back in October 2020, at the height of the pandemic, Topuria took a short-notice fight against Youssef Zalal on Fight Island. He was still recovering from the illness but accepted the challenge anyway and somehow managed to shed 26 pounds to make weight.
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That win marked the start of a remarkable rise. Now he's set to headline UFC White House on June 14 against Justin Gaethje.
Ilia Topuria recalls gruelling illness just before his UFC debut
Photo by Cooper Neill/Zuffa LLC
Getting the call from the UFC is what every fighter dreams of, but for Ilia Topuria, it couldn't have come at a worse time. He was stuck in bed with coronavirus and well over the weight limit when the opportunity arrived.
Speaking to Adam Catterall on One on One MMA, Topuria said: "I didn't want to get that call, I was sick with covid. I remember I was in my bed and I wasn't even able to walk for two weeks. Finally, I said 'I'm going to go outside and run for ten minutes.'"
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"I did 15 minutes and had to come back. Then my phone rang, and they asked if I wanted to fight in the UFC in eight days. I thought, 'How am I going to make that happen?'"
"I had to lose 12kg [just over 26lb] in eight days – so many things I had to do – but whatever. I said yes without knowing how I'd manage it."
That gamble paid off handsomely for Topuria, who's now one of the sport's biggest stars with titles in multiple divisions.
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