Ilia Topuria shocks the world with her words: "I'm not invincible..."

These days, talking about Ilia Topuria is no longer talking about just any fighter. It's talking about the new face of mixed martial arts (MMA). The Matador has grown his legend by leaps and bounds. In his last three fights, he has become the featherweight champion (145 pounds or 65.8 kilos), defended his title once, and even became a double champion by occupying the lightweight throne (155 pounds or 70.3 kilos). Throughout this process, his confidence exuded wherever he went. In his first title fight, against Alexander Volkanovski, he already posed with the belt before winning it . With Holloway, he changed his record on Instagram weeks before the contest.

For UFC 317, he continued with the same philosophy. When it came time to take the official photos in Las Vegas, he was already doing so with both belts . There was also a moment that caused controversy among fans. It was a video he uploaded the night before the fight in which he celebrated the victory with his team . All of this, along with his declarations that he would knock out Charles Oliveira in the first round, created a climate of discontent. "You're underestimating Oliveira," or "you're arrogant..." were some of the most resounding phrases. But nothing could be further from the truth. All that arrogance he's accused of is nothing more than confidence in a job well done.

“ I'm not invincible . On the contrary. I feel beatable, and that's why I work so hard. I put so much dedication into it. And that's why I do the work I do, and I don't want to leave anything undone. And the work is so well done that I feel I have no doubts,” Topuria himself explained when answering a question from Diario Sport journalist Nil Jaime at the press conference after his fight . “And that's why I celebrate things the night before, because I feel like victory is built and should be celebrated at the end of camp. Because I wouldn't live with myself if I didn't try so hard. So I feel like that's what happens. I tried so hard and I deserve it , ” he concluded. These words add an extra layer of depth to the Spanish-Georgian.

Ilia Topuria doesn't have superhuman powers. He simply has something that's becoming harder to find: the ability to strive day after day . Discipline. Not failing even on bad days, and giving it his all in every workout. Victory isn't celebrated as such. What's celebrated is having endured the entire time, doing the work well. The key to success is the complete opposite of what's assumed. It's about not letting luck take over, but having everything under control. In another interview with the UFC, he commented that he used to worry about what might happen, but that's in the past. "I'm not going to travel into the future. I don't think about whether this or that happens. I'll be prepared for everything ," he concluded.