© Gary A. Vasquez/Imagn
UFC featherweight champion Ilia Topuria is undeniably one of the top fighters in the promotion today. The 28-year-old, who was born in Germany but represents both Spain and Georgia, is 16-0 on his career and ranked No. 3 in the promotion’s pound-for-pound rankings. But Topuria defended his featherweight title just one time, knocking out former champion Max Holloway at UFC 308 in October of 2024.
Despite this, Topuria recently decided that it’s time to shed his well-known nickname, “El Matador,” in favor of new, self-given nickname after announcing plans to vacate the belt and move up to the lightweight division.
#UFC champ — at least, for now — Ilia Topuria has a NEW nickname ahead of lightweight move. Thoughts? pic.twitter.com/rFNrz5641q
— MMA Fighting (@MMAFighting) March 25, 2025
“‘El Matador’ is something that has accompanied me throughout my entire sporting career, throughout my entire trajectory, and it’s something that’s led me to the new nickname,” Topuria told Mundo Deportivo. “It’s always what I say: You need to believe. You need to see to believe. I believe it first, and then I see it. So the nickname that will accompany me in my next fights is going to be ‘La Leyenda.’”
La Leyenda translates to the “The Legend,” which is a pretty sick a nickname. But for one, you can’t call yourself “The Legend.” That’s just lame. And secondly, Topuria hasn’t done nearly enough in the UFC to reach what most people would consider legend status. That title comes with several marquee fights and number of title defenses.
Jose Aldo defended the UFC featherweight title seven times. Max Holloway won 13 consecutive UFC fights. Alexander Volkanovski won 12 in a row. That longevity is what makes a fighter a UFC legend. Maybe Topuria gets there one day, but he’s not there yet.
“Giving yourself a nickname, especially one like this, is about as pathetic as you can get. Outside of Topuria and his team, no one thinks he’s a legend,” one fan tweeted.
“Historically, this doesn’t end well,” said another.
Ultimately, Topuria has the skills to back up his bravado. But if he doesn’t, that nickname is going to wind up looking pretty ridiculous.