Ilia Topuria’s final fight on the regional scene ended in surprisingly violent fashion.
The former featherweight champion brutally knocked out Alexander Volkanovski and Max Holloway during his dominant run at 145lbs.
Today, Ilia Topuria is widely regarded as the best boxer in MMA, but he started out as a grappler.
Seven consecutive submission wins put him on the cusp of a UFC call-up by the end of 2019.
Watch Ilia Topuria’s first MMA KO
Brave Combat Federation matched Ilia Topuria against Steven Goncalves in November 2019.
‘El Matador’, who was just 22 years old at the time, got dropped early by the 6-1-1 fighter.
Goncalves landed a head kick that floored Topuria and initiated a grappling exchange inside one minute.
One of the greatest UFC featherweights of all time quickly bounced back and threatened with submission attempts, which Goncalves managed to survive before making his way back to his feet.
When he was taken down again, Topuria’s opponent unleashed elbows that caught a nasty cut.
Goncalves should’ve smelled blood, but he backed up to the cage wall when they returned to striking again.
Topuria trapped him before unleashing a massive overhand right that knocked Goncalves out cold.
The referee immediately stepped in to make Topuria 8-0 courtesy of his first-ever KO win in MMA.
What’s next for Ilia Topuria?
Almost six years later, Topuria has improved his record to 16-0 and become a UFC megastar.
Most fans consider him to be among the top three pound-for-pound best fighters in the sport right now.
He’ll look to cement the top spot by becoming a two-weight champion at UFC 317 on June 28.
Topuria will need to get by ex-champion Charles Oliveira to capture the vacant lightweight title atop the most highly anticipated MMA card of the year to date.