Ilia Topuria buries 'El Matador' and becomes 'La Leyenda'

After generating maximum buzz in recent days, the reigning champion of the featherweight category of the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC), Ilia Topuria, discovered his new nickname. From now on, the Spanish-Georgian fighter will no longer be known as El Matador but rather, La Leyenda.

"El Matador is something that has been with me for my whole sporting career, for my whole career, and it's something that has led me to the new nickname, because of a lot of people.... It's what I always say. You need to believe. You need to see to believe. I believe it first and then I see it. So, the nickname that is going to accompany me in my next fights is going to be La Leyenda," Topuria confirmed during a tribute paid to him in the Spanish city of Toledo.

The Spanish-Georgian fighter acknowledged that he didn't want to unveil it until his next fight, although, finally, he did.

"The truth is that I had the idea of keeping it to myself until my next fight and that it would be unveiled once I was inside the octagon," he assured.

In October 2024, Topuria succeeded in defending his UFC featherweight championship belt by knocking out American Max Holloway at Yas Island (Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates).

With that win, he managed to remain undefeated in the UFC, with a record of 16 wins and no losses. From now on, Topuria will fight in the lightweight category.