Video – Thousands of Georgians gather in freezing weather to watch Ilia Topuria’s UFC 298 title win
Georgia has its first UFC world champion, and his name is Ilia Topuria.
On Saturday night, ‘El Matador’ entered the Octagon with an entire country behind him. Less than two rounds later, he shocked the world with a sensational second-round knockout of featherweight kingpin Alexander Volkavnoski to claim the 145-pound crown. It was a history-making moment for Topuria and his transcontinental home country.
To give the rest of the world an idea of how much Topuria’s victory means to the country, MMA reporter and fellow Georgian Giorgi Kokiashvili shared a video of thousands of fight fans celebrating in the streets after their native son did exactly what he said he was going to do.
“Topuria is a great and had a tremendous performance. If he continues like this I think he will have a great future,” UFC CEO Dana White said at a post-fight press event.
Merab Dvalishvili gives Georgians another victory to celebrate
Ilia Topuria wasn’t the only Georgian fighter to deliver big at UFC 298. Earlier in the evening, bantamweight standout Merab Dvalishvili scored his 10th-straight win inside the Octagon, besting former two-division titleholder Henry Cejudo via unanimous decision.
With the victory, Dvalishvili was dubbed as the next man in line for a shot at the 135-pound title.
