FULL SEND PODCAST - Ilia Topuria | Ep. 147

Episode Date: February 13, 2025

Presented by Happy Dad Hard Seltzer. Find Happy Dad near you http://happydad.com/find (21+ only). Video is available on http://youtube.com/fullsendpodcast/videos. Follow Nelk Boys on Instagram http://instagram.com/nelkboys. Part of the Shots Podcast Network (shots.com). You can listen to the audio version of this podcast on Spotify, Apple Podcasts & anywhere you listen to podcasts. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

All right, guys. We are back with another amazing episode today. We have, in my opinion, the biggest superstar in the UFC right now. Ilya, this happened in a matter of less than 12 hours. I want to give a shout out to my good friend, John Chahidi. You know him as well, right? How do you guys know each other? We meet each other in Las Vegas. I had, I had, I don't know, a small conversation with him, but he seems to be a very nice guy. He tried to help us many, many times so I appreciate him to to help me every time that's awesome shout out john no we appreciate you coming i know you guys had a big night last night what did last night mean to you that your brother took the w it was so emotional for me to see him making his debut see him win it was something that

we we dreamed since we were kids so seeing it in in the reality it was something very emotional to me and very happy all right guys we have an amazing podcast today Ilya told us that this was his first podcast ever, so it's truly an honor to have them. Guys, a superstar. Before we get into it, if you guys have never tried the prize picks app, you have to download it. Stop what you're doing right now. You guys have seen me. I love to fire on sports, and I've literally tried every single app there is.

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corner being in the corner I was more nervous do you ever tell him some stuff and he just doesn't listen no I felt that he he listened to me a lot like I do all the time when when I'm fighting I try to he to listen to him because I I feel that he knows me where really well you know he knows me he knows my inside word you know he knows when I can't can't push my opponents. When I have to rest, I recover my condition. So we have a special connection. Yeah. What did you think of the Duplessi Strickland fight? To be honest, I didn't watch it. No. You guys were celebrating? Yeah, we were celebrating. We came out. He did all his interviews, and then we went to celebrate a little bit. We were watching his fight. I don't know, we watched it

for a hundred times. How does Camp DePoria celebrate? Like when you knocked out Max Holloway, what's what's the post fight celebration so we have a space with all our close friends with partners so we celebrate with music we bring a DJ from Spain I don't know just enjoying with the family do you guys party a little bit a little bit of wine or anything or no yeah a little bit of of a little fun yeah what's your go-to drink is it the wine I love to drink wine and in in special moments like that maybe I can drink some tequila or beer not very often but in that kind of situations i do it because sometimes you have to enjoy also the life you know it's not always to being in and and that that way to on diet

i don't drink i don't do this on that you have to enjoy it also you got to mix it up yeah of course also really quickly boys we have some brand new ufc fulsend stuff on fullsend dot com right now you guys have been going crazy over the ufc full sun stuff so we just restocked it all over the website Super clean, super simple. I personally love rocking it. So go to full send.com, copy some UFC full send pieces. Let's get on the pot. How big was that knockout to you?

Because I know, you know, Max Holloway was never knocked out. Everybody, all the fans think it was crazy. But what did it mean to you? Were you surprised? I wasn't surprised, to be honest, because I always knew it. I always knew it that my time would come. But it's always very emotional when you are able to live that specific moments.

in your life, and especially when you fight a guy like Max Lowe, that never has been knocked out. But I knew it. I don't know. I don't know. Where does that power come from? From God. He gives me that power. Because, of course, I work hard.

I work very, very hard. And I feel that I don't only work the hard way. I work the smart way also. But I see also many, many guys working really hard, doing everything that they can, but they don't have this power. So the conclusion is that the power comes from God. It's from God. Would you credit your mentality to God, too? Of course.

I know Carlos Alcaras, he said he studies your press conferences when it comes to mentality, which is crazy. And he's a massive, massive superstar, right? Yeah. As you said, he's a massive superstar. So where do you credit that, like, your mentality and how important is your mentality when it comes to everything that you're doing? The only thing I do, I base my values on what God is teaching us in the Bible, right?

So I try to do all the things that he teach us. I just try to believe in myself because I always used to say this way that both fear and faith demand you to believe in something that you never solve and you choose. And I always choose to believe in things that make me feel happy and make me feel and think that tomorrow is going to be even better than today. So this is the way I see life. You have a very crazy, inspiring story. I didn't know about it. I've never heard you talk about it personally until you guys were telling me about it. But you were born in Germany, and then you moved to Georgia, and then to Spain.

The Spain. And could you tell us about that? Like, what was your childhood, like, growing up? So I was born in Germany. I have my brother and two sisters. So my parents decided to go back to Georgia because we originally from Georgia. So we lived there for seven years, but in the first three years, my parents again have to live us in Georgia and go back to Europe. Because in that moment, we didn't have a great situation in Georgia.

Was there a war? Russia was... The war started once my parent lived us a year after or something like that in 2008. So when you are eight, nine years old, and you. you dealing with that kind of situation and you don't have you you heroes with you which are your parents with with that age it's it's a little bit little bit difficult but at this moment I appreciate everything that I live because it creates the man I am today you know what I mean yeah all right guys if you're into crypto or you're thinking about getting into crypto you guys got

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and X, moonpay.com, and I'll drop the link right in the description. Shout out to MoonPay, the best fucking crypto app in the game. Let's get back in the pod. So wait, what was that like then? Who were you living with at the time when you were eight? With my brother and with my sister. And my grandma was taking care of us also and close family members. But without the parents, it's not the same, you know what I mean.

So we had a difficult times, but today I appreciate everything that I lived because I wouldn't be here without that experience. And then you made it to Spain when you were 15? Then when we turned to when I was 15 years old, finally, me and my brother, we went with my parents to Spain. and since that moment we meet the gym where we're training until today and we meet the mixed martial arts I heard there's an interesting story with your mother with that I heard were you guys on a bus and she saw someone with cauliflower ear and then because at that at that time in Spain they didn't have the culture of mixed martial arts at all no one knew anything about that you weren't even training at this point at age 15 and we were doing the Greek Roman wrestling and we went

to keep with that discipline in Spain also, but they don't, they don't have that sport also. So either. So my mom saw in the street a man with a color flow year, you know, you can identify very, very fast, a wrestler or a fighter. When you see that, you know, not to fuck with that person. So my mom started to start to talk with that man and she, she told, she told him, like, I have two kids. They want to keep training. I don't know, maybe wrestling and he said, I don't do wrestling, but I do Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu. So take your kids and I will show you the gym. So when my mom came to home, she started to talk us about the Jiu-Jitsu,

MMA and all that, and we didn't know anything at all. And I was like, I don't want to do anything with kimono because, you know, in wrestling, we don't use kimono. And my dad started to talk also with us and he was like this is an amazing sport you know the graces look this video this and that that that and finally they convince convince us to go to the gym and since the day we we step in we didn't came up until now that's crazy so do you give your mom a lot of credit a lot of and who's this guy with cauliflower here we got to find him and maybe of course he's a very close very close friend of mine now he's still still of course he's a great person how can i forget him that's crazy yeah he was a man sent it by god where do you want to take mama when it comes to

spain and even with your brother in georgia namarab where do you see like the camp to poria legacy if you know the spanish people they really have that fighter spirit and inside them but At the same time, they didn't have the culture of the sport. So I want them to be more familiar with the sport because we have great talents also there. So at the same time, I don't know. My goal is not only inspire people in the sport. I want to inspire them in life and be a motivation,

a role mother for them. Some of them choose the way the path on doing their things in the sport. some of them wants to start with some business some of them what wants to be a doctor in the future i don't know i just want to be a great example for that yeah you're inspiring a lot of people in spain i mean the whole real madrid thing and the fight that might happen at the burn about one day we could talk about that but how cool is that even to just work with like real madrid and have them support you wow they've never done anything like that right yeah it's something amazing

you know to to get that kind of support from a team like real madrid it's something that motivates me and gives a recognition to everything i'm doing right so it feels amazing when when does that fight happen at the burnabah hopefully i don't know in 2025 but by the end of the year or maybe the next year i hope so how does that make you feel when you just think about the possibility of that happening because that'd be like history it makes me feel to give you chills or no it makes it makes me feel happy at the same time i didn't fought in spain i don't know since so many years ago the last time i fought in spain so it will be something amazing going out there in front of all my people i don't know 80 000 people with the mariachi song it's going to be something that it's going to stay in my

my memories for life and at the end of the day what's life it's about the moments we are able to create and then remember them. What's it like being friends with Sergio Ramos? And what's one thing you've learned from him? What I have learned from, he was my idol since I was a kid. The way he was like the character he has in the sport, like always fighting until the last second of the match, that inspired me a lot.

So I was following his entire career. And the day when I met him, it was like something very, cool you know that you're watching someone would you like him and at some point he comes to support you i don't know crazy things has he ever given you like any advice or anything like that many of them to be honest i i can tell you anything specific that he told me but only spending time with him it's nice you know it it's it gives you a lot of motivation yeah whatever he does even if you do the same things, you are able to verify that you are doing the same thing as someone who is so big, you know?

So you know that you are on the right path. It's yeah, it's crazy. That's also a learning. Yeah, it's crazy when stars like that are kind of now, you know, almost looking up to you and stuff. Yeah. Is that weird at all? Or do you feel like you were just destined for this?

At the same time, it's something that I appreciate. Of course, I do, but I always knew it. I don't know. I always believe that. that someday I would share the stages with them, I would share the conversations with them because I was doing everything that it was in my hands, you know, what I could do. So I always had that faith that those days would come in my life. Yeah.

So since you've had that faith, what do you see, what do you see your legacy and what are your goals in the UFC and then also outside the UFC? My goals in the UFC is to stay undefeated to keep knocking people out. I don't go only in to just win, you know. I fight for the fans. I want to entertain people. I want them to enjoy. Like when I go somewhere, I want people to offer me a great show.

That's why I put my money there. So I want to do the same thing to all the fans and be as big as I can. I want to go to the lightweight division. Now, if the EEOC wants me to give me that opportunity, I will become a two-way class of war champion and I want to I want to keep doing things like things like that and outside the cage as I told you before I want to motivate and inspire people how many years do you think you have left in the UFC till I enjoy yeah just to play by year yeah at this point I enjoy it I want I want to I want to doing I want to keep doing it and it's a difficult question to to

answer when I want to retire I don't know there's no point in putting a time on it right now Exactly. Yeah. Once I will stop enjoying it, I will retire. So what makes you want to move up to 155 so bad? Because I really believe that I can bid the current champion, Islam. I really think that he's a great champion. He does.

You can be a war champion by chance. You know, you have to do things great. He's a beast. Yeah, he's a beast. Yeah. But I like the competition. And I don't like to be a bully and fight. with people that I know 100% that I'm gonna walk his ass,

you know, I like to fight with people that the fans think that it's gonna be very competitive. That kind of expectations I like to create. So with Islam, I'm gonna have that. Doing again, the rematch with people that I really thought, I don't think that I'm gonna have the same kind of expectations, you know, for the fans. Yeah. So.

Yeah, I love, I love Volk too. He's a great guy too, but as a fan, as a fan, As a fan, that rematch doesn't excite me that much, just because in the fashion that you want it, right? But obviously, he's a legend. And like you said, if anyone deserves a rematch, it's him. But just as a fan, it's kind of like... I have to give him his credits also because you never know what's going to happen in the rematch. I'm sure that I'm going to knock him out once again.

If we fight again, or I will submit him, I will do the same things. But at the same time, you can't joke with that guy. He's a fucking legend. Right. That's what I mean. The only thing he knows to do is fighting. So I can't underestimate him at all because he's a fucking beast. Like with Max Holloway, I just knock him out.

But maybe we fight again and you never know what's going to happen. Is there anyone else you'd want to fight at lightweight? I know you said you'd be willing to fight Oliver. There are so many excited fights in the lightweight division for me. Even Armand now, I guess he's kind of... Yeah, Armand needs to build himself a little bit more, you know. but at this point just imagine a fight between me

and I love that dog Dustin Poirier he's a fucking fighter you know what I mean you know that he goes in and he fights till he dies you're gonna have that guy in front of you fighting and try to take your head off that's a very excited fight for me

and I think for the fans also Islam is a great fight Charles is a great fight Justin Gage is a great fight. I can, like, mention you so many great fights that I could have in the lightweight division. The Islam fight would be a fucking super fight. Like, as a fan, that, if I saw that, if they announced that, I would, like, be, like, jumping up and joy. That's a great fight.

That's a great, that's why I want to do it. Why do you think the UFC doesn't want to make it happen? I don't think that they don't want to make it happen. It's in the works? Yeah, it's in the works. They are trying to figure out some things. So how do you beat Islam? Is Georgian wrestling better than Dagestanian wrestling?

You can't, like, analyze the wrestling that way because you never know. You see a Russian guy wrestling with an American guy, and it can go either way, you know what I mean? But I have so many, so many things against Islam that he's going to have some hard time with me. And something he knows and we all know is that the only thing I need, it's one punch. And you know for sure that I'm going to connect that one punch because I don't chew my punch is like a crazy, a crazy, you know. I'm waiting for my moment and I apply a lot of technique behind that punch. You know, I move my head and I know where to chew that punches. and we all know that at some point, I will connect that punch.

And everything will depend on what God will decide. If he wants to go, if he wants to send Islam to sleep or not, who knows that? I know that. Didn't you say you want to submit him? Yeah. I can also submit him. To be honest, I always say that I represent the new generation of Mixel, martial us, and what that means. Before you were seeing a guy's in an MMA, they were good in striking and maybe in wrestling, but the ground game wasn't that good.

Or you see a guy who has a phenomenal ground game, he has a phenomenal striking, but his wrestling sucks. In my case, I'm good everywhere. So you can take me everywhere and I'm going to feel comfortable. They used to say, like, I'm going to take you to the deep water. I was burned in the deep water. You know what I mean? Take me wherever you want to take me. Another, I mean, I guess this one's not as possible,

but what about an ever possible fight with Connor McGregor? And do you think that does he ever fight again or no? I don't know. That guy is so sick. He has some problems in his inside war, you know. And at the same time when he was starting in the mixed martial arts, he was an idol for all of us, you know. he was a great fighter representing good values he did a lot for the sport at the end of the day right

he did a lot for the sport but at some point he betrayed all the values that put him in that that that point you know what i mean so he get crazy he he started to be disrespectful with everyone around him with all the people in the u.s with all the fighters with everyone you know and at some point you you you fall you know the people comes against you they don't like that if they support you you have to you have to give them the same love back where do you think his downfall was starting to party like he's not he he wasn't a sportsman like he taking drugs all that kind of shits you know what i mean because we all know that all know that you're always going to have that kind of temptations you know but if you are

really a champion a fucking legend you can against everything you have to have that control about the things not the things i have to have the control about you do you want to not become the next connor mcgregor but do you think that you'll be that next worldwide superstar you almost already are for sure in the ufc because i that's what i see in you like your your fights are fucking unreal you finish fights you have the sauce like you have and then in the press conferences i love watching your press conferences like i'm always excited to watch them so do you think is that what you want to be that like worldwide connor mcgregor next level mma superstar i want to be more than caran mcgregor you know what i mean uh the values he represents it's not the same values i

represent so that's why i think i'm going to be even bigger than him actually i'm bigger than him right now at this point, I'm bigger than him. Maybe more people knows him, but the way they know him, I don't want anyone to know me that way. Right. So maybe it takes me a little bit longer, but I want to do it from the good way, you know? Yeah. And I'm very patience.

I know that there's no elevators in life, and slow is the fastest way to get where you want to be. You don't want to rush anything ever, right? I don't want to rush anything. The God times are the perfect times. How's your relationship with like the UFC business-wise evolved now that you've become more of a star? Do you have like more say in your fights? Yeah.

Do you guys have more of a working relationship now? Yeah. I have a different relationship now, of course, as a champion, you can do things a little bit different. But at the same time, the people that understand about the business are there. They understand. Yeah, Dana and Hunter understand about the business. I can have many ideas. but they had how many champions they had before me.

So they have so much experience that you can just go there and say, I want to do this. C or C, you want it or not, you can do it that way. Because they know how to run the business. They know how to build the stars. It's crazy how far you come. I remember even like you were like beefing with like Patty the Batty. You guys used to have bag beef and now it's crazy.

I'm not trying to shit on him, but it's crazy how much of a gap there is now between starting. His hype was like momentario. In the moment he has a lot of hype, this and that, but the quality of the fighter is, man, come on, please. Don't even compare me to that, boom, because we are on different levels. And everyone can see that, see it now, that we are on different levels.

What do you think happened with him? Because he was kind of on like, he was on starting. He was very disrespectful to me, to my country, to all my people, and he just behaved like a fucking idiot, you know. He started to talk about the war we had against Russian, and that he said something. Now I understand why the Russians put the bombs in Georgia, and many kids died in that war, many people died in that war, you know, not a lot of good things happen in the war. So when you start to joke about that kind of things, just,

make sure that we don't find each other anywhere because i'm going to take your fucking head off you know what i mean he wants to build his hype laughing on people and that's not the way i'm looking to to build the hype what's what's too far when it comes to press conferences and trash talk like what's off limits in your opinion in my case it's real because i had press conference where i i was respectful to my opponents because they were respectful to me but when they try to go a different way bro i'm never looking for a problem but if the problem comes to me i say no fucking problem yeah i feel that exactly crazy story i heard too i think uh jo rogan he canceled his kamala harris interview because of your fight i just saw

you saw that it was so fun what do you make of that i don't know it was so fun that someone is not accepting Kamala Harris because he wants to watch my fight against Max Holloway. That's fun. It's dumb how much of just a fan Joe Rogan is that he would say that. And he said that, you know, he didn't have to say that. He would like close his mall and don't say anything. But I love Joe Rogan. You should, you ever going to go on Joe Rogan?

I think he should go on. If he invites me, why not? He's the best. Yeah. You can refuse that invitation. Who's like your top three fighters of all time? The first one has to be John Jones. You have to give the credit to that man.

Because to me is too fun when I see people comparing him with the Dagestani guys, even with Khabib, with Islam or that. All the respect to all the champions. But for example, Khabib, he has how many? 14, 15-files in the UFC. John Jones have 15 title defenses. John Jones has transcended eras in the UFC. He's been around since like George St. Pierre, like everyone else is retired. Exactly.

He's still going. I don't know. For me, he's the number one. Number two, number two. Wow. That one is a tough question, actually. Maybe Anderson Silva. He was goaded back in the day.

I don't want to leave anyone outside of that, you know, because I love many of them and I respect and then they inspired me and different. moments of my career number three who it would be number three number three George St. Pierre he was my favorite I'm from Canada so he is

yeah bro the way that he would mix up his wrestling and his striking his wrestling was so fucking dominant and then he'd get up and do like the Superman punches and the kicks they were like fighters you know and John John he still

you think the John Jones versus aspirin all fight happens for sure that's going to happen the ufc wants to make happen something they may ufc wants it but it's acting jones is saying publicly that he you know he's kind of being like iffy online about it um maybe that's just a negotiation tactic right and negotiation tactical that's the truth maybe this is what he wants to go go inside the octagon but because at this point he he don't need to fight anymore you know if if he fights he's honest like this is what i need to go inside that that octagon and put the performance you you want from my side so this is what motivates me this is what i need to go in if you're willing to pay me just pay me

if not god bless you we all good if anyone's earned a fat payday it's it's him right for how long he's been in the ufc i don't know for how many he's almost 40 right yeah and he became a war champion with 23 crazy for so only calculating since the day he become a war champion to now it's 17 years almost so yeah how do you how do you see that fight playing out bro i like aspinel also he's a great fighter and he represents also a new generation he's a new blood but i don't know man at the same time i don't want to say anything because i know how it feels when when we When someone gets a question about me, when I was fighting, for example, with Max Holloway and they were asked, what do you think about this fight? I understand that they can't go against Max Holloway because it's very difficult to bet against someone like him.

But they don't know my reality. They don't know how much I'm working, how much I decide that victory and how much I'm willing to give to get it. So maybe we have the same case with Tom Aspin, I don't know, it's like, give a It's a tough one to call, right? I don't want to. Yeah, you don't want to get yourself. I don't want to answer. Yeah, because I respect both of them so much.

How happy for that you're at like with Maraub and stuff that two Georgian champs at the same time? Oh, so happy. He's a machine. He's so crazy at the same time. He's fucking hilarious that guy. If I do the same kind of things as he does, you will. would say this guy's crazy but on him bro it looks great i don't know i love you make of his last

performance because i was fucking hype for that fight and like the fucking machine i love the performance he had the last time he he he he showed that he's the world champion he's the best you i saw him enjoying inside the octagon because if you don't have that that that kind of control which he had and you can do this kind of things and you can laugh on on the guy when you take him down down and you are not able to do that kind of things because you're so fucking nervous so he showed a different kind of level you know he he's the best were you surprised at his dominance in that fight or this is what I what I was expecting from him I always know that he was much better than then then that guy that normal

metal much better bro they you see me up sometimes you see him up you see him fighting and you think like this guy is not gonna take me down because he's takedowns doesn't look like very technical but when you do sparrings with him or you fight with him everything changes you know he's timing the way he moves the way he does it there's a reason why he's the best in the world i don't see anyone it's going to be tough for someone to beat him right very very tough everything can happen in in in a fight but his gas tank bro crazy like to see it that happened to a d'agestani yeah as a fan is like whoa No. But none of them have like a special cardio and special stamina. You know what I mean?

The way they do it, it's like if you see fighting any of them, the thing they need when they go inside the octone and the first contact, they want to feel that they dominate you. And they start to build a confidence instead. Like, I can dominate you. Maybe you escape. We go in the striking again. I felt that I'm stronger than you. But if they feel in the first contact in the first round, but that they can control you, that it's very competitive, they head goes down. Yeah. So what you think is about beating them in the earlier rounds?

This is what they try to do, to beat you in the earlier rounds, to feel that they can dominate you, that they are stronger than you. This is what they try to do all the time. But when they realize that it's not like that, Most of the time, they lose that kind of fights. All the competitive fights, they, they, they lose all of them.

Yeah. Or you see them dominating everything, like take the people down, dominate them in the ground. Or if you see a competitive fight, they lose. So if you move up, do you think Murav will ever move up as well? Or will you defend both at the same time? He could do it because I was talking with him the last day. And I'm like, man, listen, you could easily beat everyone that I beat. You could fire with Max Holloway, with work, with, with everyone and doing what you're doing in the Banterweight division and beat them.

You can do that. And that's something that he says he wants to do as well? I don't know. I don't know. Sometimes he's like. I think he just lives in the moment, right? Yeah. Sometimes he's like, I don't want to do this.

And then you see some announcement that he's doing it. I don't know. So is this going to be like a showdown one day? like Georgia versus Dagestan? I don't know. There's a little bit Georgia-dagestany beef, right? Not at all. I don't know.

This may be what the perspective of the people that they see it this way, but the competition is with everyone, all competing with each other, you know? And the sport is about it. We have to compete. That's why we're there. I don't hate anyone. Yeah. Anyone.

It's like all of them are fighting for their dreams to give a better life. to their family so you can't hate that yeah how important is family to you and what you're doing so you can get everything in in in this life but it's not worth it if you don't have the right people to share it you know what i mean so my family means everything to me yeah everything are your are your kids training i think i've seen some videos my kid my son yeah he's training yeah he's training and he's very good if you see i seen the videos i think yeah if you see the way he moves in boxing and the combinations he does especially the last times when I saw him training oh is he now five five bro long combinations the way he moves the head just right away right away and when you put gloves on

him when he was three years old but it it wasn't me like come and and we're going to train and do this or they that do that he was always asking me that please train me that please I want to go with you that please please please please please please because Because I don't want to, I don't want to push him. I don't want to put him anywhere where he doesn't want to be, you know, because no one had to push me to do what I'm doing. Never, ever. No one, my parents never had to knock my door. I'll go to train.

Never. So I want to live him and be guide by God. What is he training, just boxing or is he doing everything? Boxing, he's doing jiu-jitsu also. We do sometimes. He likes to do also wrestling. so soccer also he's trained soccer he's very good at soccer also what's one of your like biggest purchases since you've become financially successful are you like into cars you got a nice watch

to be honest the biggest purchase i had yeah maybe cars what cars you got me personally i love the astel martins so yeah i drive astel martin because i like it that's nice yeah would you ever do like one of those super fights like a Jake Paul type crossover thing ever after the UFC and who would be one of the opponents that you'd want to do it with like the biggest one ever the biggest one ever that I would like to fight with Elon Musk

why because you're friends with soccer now no no no no no I were joking I like Elon Musk I learned so many things from him who I would like to fight Maybe it'll come in the next. Yeah. We will see it. We will see it because we're going to have, for sure, we're going to have more YouTubers.

That's for sure. I saw Jake Paul might fight Canelo. Yeah, but they announced the fight in a couple of minutes after they cancel it. Then they announced the fight with Crawford. It was canceled also. And now he's fighting, I don't know, the guy. I don't know. Kind of weird thing was going on.

What do you think about what like Jake Paul is doing? You think it's good or you think it's bad? You have to respect that. Yeah. One way or other, he makes you to go to the TV and watch him fights. And you have to give him his credit, you know? And a lot of people say he's a YouTuber. Do the same thing.

Do it. Yeah, he's taking it very seriously. Yeah. The people doesn't understand how difficult it is to, when you're fighting on Saturday, you have so many things going on on Saturday. You have, I don't know, concerts, you can go and watch a movie. I don't know, so many things on. why someone has to choose you to stay at home or go to the stadium and watch you fight.

You have to have that ability, and he has it, and you have to respect that. What about outside the UFC? What are your biggest, like, business goals? Like, do you have any businesses you're building? I know you just started working with the wow, the promotion, in Spain. Yeah. What other businesses are you doing outside the UFC? So, to be honest, I have many things going on.

I don't want to like talk deeply about it. Before I used to be this way that people was bringing me proposals and they were like, we're gonna make this money and this much and that, da, da. And I'm like, now I'm like, wait, way, wait. You gotta be very picky. Yeah, way, very picky. Because the way I said, it's in my life, I'm gonna have, I'm gonna have and all I need is maybe five big opportunities, you know,

know so I want to be able to choose them very calm and don't be like I'm going to make money now in one year and that's it no no I want everything I do I want to build that empire you know I want to build a monster I want to build something big and at the same time is if I'm not in I don't know what's going on and I don't want to do anything that I'm not learning anything and I'm doing it only because of money yeah that's the way It's not the way I see it, you know. The way I see it, even if it doesn't play out the way I want it, I learned and not much better than I was before. This is the way I see it because you can take everything from me and I will make it again because I know how to fight.

I think your manager said that's the toughest part of his job is turning down all the big deals that you get, big money. Exactly. Because I don't want to promote anything that I'm not taking or I'm not drinking. I'm not doing in my life, only promoting because of money, I don't see it. And God is telling you exactly that, don't do that kind of things. So what? Do we see, Ilya, how many times do you think you fight this year? Hopefully, two, three times.

That will be good. Yeah, because I don't like to fight, like, a lot because I like to prepare all my fights as a professional, and I like to respect all my opponents. to analyze them to do the right game plan and work on it so two or three times when do you think is there a month or a range you think that we see you come back i don't want to say it i don't want to say anything because they ask me to don't say anything but hopefully we're going to have some some announcements really soon maybe the next week awesome yeah well i think this is amazing i don't want to take up too much too much your time i appreciate you and yeah i think i think you're on

trajectory man to be the biggest biggest superstar in the UFC by far we're supporting you we love watching your fights and appreciate you nothing but the best thank you very much eliot to pour you my man thank you really much appreciate you