As a rising star, Ilia Topuria has been making waves in the MMA community with some of his bold recent claims. Some of the most talked-about ones include submitting Islam Makhachev in front of his coach and becoming the richest athlete in 2025—a big dream that fans admire for his confidence. Given his undefeated streak, it’s fair to say he has the potential to achieve those goals if he stays consistent in the octagon and keeps himself in top shape.
This is clearly possible, given that he consistently maintains his physical fitness before each fight. Interestingly, he acknowledged that the circumstances weren’t always the same. He had to go through some shortcuts to maintain his weight before fights, one of which involved drinking wine. He was about to do the same before his fight against Damon Jackson, but revealed why he changed his decision at the last moment.
Ilia Topuria and His Experience With Wine & Weight Cutting
Ilia Topuria shared with Joe Rogan that he used a surprising method to cut weight twice in his career. Before his fight with Damon Jackson, he still had six kilos to lose. His nutritionist suggested he drink half a bottle of wine. The idea was that the alcohol would cause dehydration, helping him shed excess water weight overnight.
At first, Topuria was unsure, but he gave it a try. He told Joe Rogan, “Because of the alcohol, it’s gonna cause dehydration. I did it, and it works. After that, I did it in my next fight.” Jackson was just Topuria’s second opponent in the UFC. It was only five fights later, after beating Jackson, that the 28-year-old knocked out Volkanovski.
However, the 28-year-old didn’t choose to go all the way with wine this time. Instead, he decided to stop himself in the middle of the party night.
Why Ilia Topuria Abandoned the Wine Method
Even though the wine trick worked, Ilia Topuria decided to stop using it to cut weight. It didn’t feel right to him. He said, “I was like, ‘I don’t feel good. I don’t feel good doing this.’ The weight cut was kind of crazy.” That night, the weight cut became too chaotic for him since his team was celebrating, but he had to focus on facing a dangerous opponent in the Octagon.
Ilia Topuria admits drinking wine to help with his weight cut gave him a hangover so he had to quit
“I did it and it works. After that I did it in my next fight but then I was like oh I don’t feel good. It’s fun because everyone else is dying and I’m partying with my team” 🍷😭 pic.twitter.com/gcPCq4yqXC
— FULL SEND MMA (@full_send_mma) April 17, 2025
So, it didn’t sit well with him. Reflecting on those experiences, he said, “So skinny, drinking wine, and one day after I have to face a monster in the Octagon. Experience in life.” It was a smart decision to stop. If Topuria had continued partying and drinking wine, it could have made him too vulnerable to a tough fighter like Jackson.
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