In a revealing conversation on the Joe Rogan Experience MMA Show #166, featherweight champion Ilia Topuria disclosed his unconventional training methodology that separates him from many of his contemporaries in the UFC.
Unlike most MMA stars who participate in mixed martial arts classes that combine various disciplines, Topuria adopts a compartmentalized approach to his training regimen, focusing on individual martial arts separately rather than in combination.
“I try to develop my skills in every discipline,” Topuria explained to Rogan. “I try to not mix it up. I don’t train MMA at all. I do boxing classes, wrestling classes. I try to learn every discipline separate.”
This approach stands in stark contrast to conventional MMA training, where athletes typically engage in sessions that integrate multiple fighting styles simultaneously. Topuria’s reasoning behind this method is strategic and development-focused.
“When the training camp comes, I try to mix it up and polish everything that I have been able to learn till that moment,” he continued. “Everything that worked for me in wrestling and boxing, in the places where I feel comfortable… that’s why I want to develop all the time my knowledge.”
The champion believes that training disciplines in isolation allows him to develop a deeper understanding and mastery of each component skill before synthesizing them during fight preparation. According to Topuria, focusing exclusively on mixed training can lead to stagnation.
“I can’t get better if I only go and train MMA and I only drill the same things all the time,” he said. “My head is getting stuck. I need to learn new techniques.”
Topuria’s martial arts journey began with judo at age four, continued with Garmon wrestling in Georgia, and eventually led to MMA when he moved to Spain at 15. Despite his relatively late start in boxing at 17, Topuria has become one of the most technically proficient strikers in the UFC, which he attributes to his methodical, discipline-specific approach to skill development.
The results speak for themselves. Topuria has amassed an undefeated record and captured the UFC featherweight championship by defeating Alexander Volkanovski. Now moving up to the lightweight division, Topuria plans to continue his compartmentalized training methodology as he pursues a second title.
For aspiring stars, Topuria’s training philosophy offers an alternative pathway to developing elite-level skills in MMA – one that prioritizes deep specialization in individual disciplines before integration, rather than training in mixed martial arts classes from the outset.
