"I was so scared" - UFC champ Ilia Topuria reveals he nearly stayed backstage heading into first MMA fight
Ilia Topuria is often lauded for his mental fortitude and courage. However, the UFC champion has recalled the magnitude of fear that nearly kept him backstage heading into his maiden MMA fight.
Ilia Topuria has consistently been praised for his seemingly fearless fighting style and psychological warfare against his opponents. That said, the Georgian-Spaniard fighter has revealed that he himself was nearly forced to pull out of his MMA debut fight due to fear.
He made his professional mixed martial arts debut in a featherweight bout against Francisco Asprilla under the Mix Fight Events promotional banner back in April 2015. "El Matador" emerged victorious in it, submitting Asprilla in the very first round.
Ilia Topuria reveals how scared he was heading into his MMA debut match
During his recent appearance on DeepCut with Vic Blends, Ilia Topuria harked back to the aforementioned matchup. The duo discussed how competing in an individual sport, rather than a team sport, presents an athlete with a different sort of pressure and excitement.
Speaking of which, Topuria alluded to how scary and lonely competing inside the octagon could be. He stated, "I love it , too. It's so strange. Sometimes when you get inside that octagon, and you feel so lonely. You're like, 'I'm alone. No one is gonna help me if anything happens'... Yeah. No one is gonna come to save me."
Topuria explained how scared he was going into his MMA debut. The 29-year-old said, "I was so scared in my first professional fight. I was like, 'Why I didn't study? Or what I'm doing here? Like, why I'm here?' I was so scared, but at the same time so motivated. I don't know. It was so weird."
Recalling that he nearly stayed backstage, he added, "I went through hell. I remember that day. I was about to stay in the backstage... Yeah. I swear. I had that thought. I swear. In my first fight, I had that thought."
Topuria recounted that his opponent was much more experienced than him, whereas he was just 18 years of age at the time and overwhelmed by the situation.
Watch Ilia Topuria discuss the topic below (*comments at the 13:15-minute mark):
Ilia Topuria is on a collision course with a fighter who's hailed as one of the scariest in MMA
Presently, Ilia Topuria is beheld as one of the most skilled and fearsome fighters in all of MMA. Speaking of fear, his next opponent is, incidentally, also considered to be one of the scariest strikers in the sport.
He's on a collision course with America's Justin Gaethje, who boasts 20 MMA victories by KO/TKO. He's knocked out the likes of Edson Barboza, Dustin Poirier, and many more.
Moreover, Gaethje recently sent a rather chilling warning to Topuria, promising to "change his face." Nevertheless, Topuria has lately maintained that he's confident about getting his hand raised against "The Highlight" when they clash inside the octagon.
UFC lightweight champion Topuria is booked to face interim UFC lightweight titleholder Gaethje in a title unification match. They'll headline the special UFC Freedom 250 event at the White House in Washington on June 14, 2026.
