Ilia Topuria steps on the scale this morning (Fri., Feb. 16, 2024) for his Featherweight title fight against division roost-ruler, Alexander Volkanovski, at UFC 298 tomorrow evening inside Honda Center in Anaheim, California. And if all goes according to plan, the half-liter of wine he drank last night will have helped him shed a few extra pounds.
Topuria is already a legitimate star in Europe, where he’s feted by soccer stars and celebrities wherever he goes. He also has a European sensibility toward the health benefits of wine … especially in the final hours of weight cutting.
Indeed, during a fight week interview, Michael Bisping asked him what was up with his habit of drinking a few glasses the night before weigh-in.
And Topuria was as confident as ever.
“We do it with a purpose, you know?” Topuria said. “I’ve always had phenomenal fights and it’s never affected me negatively.”
We can’t argue with that assessment: “El Matador” is 14-0 (6-0 UFC) and went five hard rounds against Josh Emmett in his last fight back in June 2023.
“Don’t do it without any recommendation,” he warned. “I did it the first time because my nutritionist, he told me, ‘You have to drink half-liter of wine because it’s going to help you dehydrate.’ And I was like, ‘Are you sure?’ ‘Yes, yes, drink it.’ And he was right. I drink the wine, wake up the next morning, and I’m two pounds less than I was.
“I was like, ‘Wow’” Topuria continued. “I had such a great time, I drink wine the day you can’t have anything. You can’t eat. You can’t drink. And I sleep like a baby, and I get benefits.”
It doesn’t work for every fighter — Paulo Costa infamously tried the “wine trick” before fighting Israel Adesanya, only for it to backfire spectacularly. But, Topuria swears by his half-liter system, which gets him pleasantly “buzzed.”
“I get very buzzed, very buzzed, and I have such a great time with everyone,” he said. “It’s like we change the atmosphere, you know? We don’t think about the fighting, we just celebrate, and I go to sleep like a baby. I wake up at the next morning with two pounds less, because of the dehydration, so everything plays out really well for me.”
ESPN caught up with Team Topuria at UFC Jacksonville as the Spaniard was hard at work putting down his wine for the Emmett fight.
“It’s something that always worked for me every time that I cut weight,” a tipsy Topuria explained at the time. “It helps me feel good and I follow traditions. Tomorrow morning I’ll be back in the sauna. I’m almost at weight. I’ll cut a few grams and I’ll be ready. So we celebrate victory, the weight cut, we celebrate everything that God provides. I feel grateful for all these moments that I can enjoy.
“I feel blessed, surrounded by good people,” he finished. :What else can I ask for? People are always chasing success. I chase happiness because for me success means to be happy with myself and I already have that, so I’m thankful.”
Remember that MMAmania.com will deliver LIVE round-by-round, blow-by-blow coverage of the entire UFC 298 fight card right here, starting with the early ESPN+ “Prelims” matches online, which are scheduled to begin at 6:30 p.m. ET (simulcast on ESPN at 8 p.m. ET), before the pay-per-view (PPV) main card start time at 10 p.m. ET (also on ESPN+).
To check out the latest and greatest UFC 298: “Volkanovski vs. Topuria” news and notes be sure to hit up our comprehensive event archive right here.
This story originally appeared on MMA Mania
