A Bangkok ready guide to Ilia Topuria and playing the matador

Ilia Topuria’s nickname, “El Matador” is not only a reference to his Spanish heritage, but is also a perfect description of his fighting style. Ilia is looking to herd you, using a combination of tactics to back you up against the fence and then collecting the KO. Ilia engages in small micro battles in the centre of the octagon, winning little contests of position until his victim is in the correct position to go in for the kill. While Ilia’s style can seem wild and overly aggressive, trading punches with his opponent with the confidence that he will get the KO, it is a lot more methodical than it may first appear.

Ilia’s jabbing game is so effective not only because his jab is educated, but also because he is adamant about shutting down his opponent’s jab. Many shorter fighters will abandon the jab if they have a reach disadvantage, but Ilia understands that the benefits are too great for him to neglect it. Ilia’s jab plays a vital role in his game, using it as a way to apply continuous offence with little to no risk. While Ilia’s punching is often criticised as wild and reckless, his jab allows him to be aggressive without putting himself at much risk, getting behind his shoulder and stinging his opponent, forcing a reaction. Topuria mixes up jabs to the head, body and double jabs to create pressure on his opponent, forcing them to counter punch or move back, both of which he is waiting for. The usual response for his opponents is to jab back, which Ilia will look to counter. Ilia will first look to parry the jab and calf kick the opponent, hitting their leg while it is planted and attacking their base. Once Ilia has the opponent’s timing down he will start to look for the cross counter, elegantly slipping inside of the punch and shooting the right hand over his opponent’s arm. The threat of the cross counter is so significant that his opponent’s will often stop jabbing altogether, allowing Ilia to take away his opponent’s lowest risk weapon while using his own effectively. By winning the jab battle Ilia is able to apply heavy pressure onto his opponent, forcing them to back up or swing at him, reactions that play into his interests.

While Ilia Topuria’s jab is an effective way to condition his opponent, it is simply a catalyst to Topuria’s footwork. Topuria’s footwork often goes unpraised, but it is actually one of the most integral parts of his game. Topuria will edge towards his opponent, feinting and making small steps looking to create a reaction with his opponent. By just encroaching on the end of his opponent’s range, he is often able to get a large reaction which he is able to punish. Josh Emmet got punished many times for wildly swinging in response to Topuria’s pressure, with Topuria being able to slide back and counter without having to retreat a significant amount of distance. Alexander Volkanovski tried to use a very kick heavy game plan against Topuria, trying to use the longer range weapon of his kicks to counter Topuria’s boxing. Topuria’s positioning, staying on the edge of Volkanovski’s range, meant that when Volk kicked Ilia was able to back up a little out of range and then move forward, taking precious ground while Volkanovski had thrown himself out of position. While his way of dealing with kicks often goes unnoticed because it doesn’t produce a highlight reel knockout, it backs his opponent up, working towards his goal of superior octagon positioning, something that leads to his knockouts in the long run. If the opponent tries to outpace his footwork, skipping around the outside and abandoning their stance for movement, Topuria will go back to his calf kick, punishing the opponent for excessive movement with little chance of being checked or countered due to the opponent not being in proper stance.

Ultimately what Ilia is famous for is his highlight reel kos, going into the pocket and swinging until his opponent goes down. The difference between Ilia trading at close range and some guy on streetbeefs is a matter of tactics and mechanics. Tactically Ilia will almost always enter the pocket on his terms, waiting until your back is to the fence usually before entering the pocket. If his opponent’s back is against the fence then Topuria can force his opponent to exchange in the pocket at his whim and can leave the pocket as he pleases if he feels he is losing the exchange. Out of all of Topuria’s highlight reel kos it is mostly a product of moving from the body to the head, switching targets and making it less likely for the opponent to know where to block. Topuria will even use his punches to open up areas he wants to target, utilising the uppercut to bring the opponent out of their stance and rise up, making it harder for them to shell up in a way that protects the body and head. Topuria wins a lot of his pocket exchanges by being the more mechanically sound fighter, getting behind his shoulders and keeping his guard and punches tight while in fighting. Utilising the shoulder roll and head movement Topuria can minimise the damage that he takes even in a firefight, while a less mechanically sound opponent is more likely to eat a clean shot if they are not able top get behind the defensive line of the shoulders and move their head. Ultimately through strategy and mechanics, Ilia Topuria is able to make what is seen by many as a 50/50 firefight into a calculated trade that he can expect to win. 

Ilia Topuria has made a fan favourite style of “swang and bang” into a calculating hunt, slowly nudging his opponent to where he wants to be until he can start swinging. To the casual fan he is just walking people down and throwing leather, but beneath the surface there lies an intricate system of feints and footwork, precaution and punch placement. The intricacies of Ilia’s game are something that separates the sport from the “human cockfighting” label it was given in the 90’s. It is sometimes difficult to notice the small battles of footwork and positioning that go on in the ring, but Topuria is a master at winning them, creating an extremely effective and exciting style.