Ilia Topuria reveals he drinks ‘Half a litre of wine’ night before UFC 298 weigh ins: ‘I get very buzzed’
Ahead of his first championship foray under the promotion’s banner this weekend, incoming UFC 298 headliner, Ilia Topuria has revealed he’ll drink up to a “half litre of wine” the night before he officially makes weight for his title fight with Alexander Volkanovski – as part of a trick his nutritionist divulged to him.
Topuria, boasting an unbeaten 14-0 record and the current number three rank at featherweight, will attempt to become the first German-born fighter to lift Octagon gold this weekend as he headlines UFC 298 in Anaheim, taking on Australian favorite, Alexander Volkanovski.
And in the midst of a promotional perfect run since his debut back in 2020, Topuria, 27, most recently landed a shutout decision win over Josh Emmett last summer in a title eliminator bout atop a UFC Fight Night Jacksonville card.
Ilia Topuria reveals he drinks wine ahead of UFC weigh ins
Searching for the 145 pound title fight limit this weekend during his official weigh-ins, Topuria claimed to have a trick up his sleeve in order to ease the process, in the form of the consumption of half a litre of wine – in order to drop up to two pounds overnight, and sufficiently dehydrate himself.
“Don’t do it without any recommendation,” Ilia Topuria told ESPN. “I did it the first time becuase my nutritionist, he told me, ‘You have to drink half litre 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 pound less than I was [the night before].”
“I get very buzzed, very buzzed, and I have such a great time with everyone,” Ilia Topuria said. “It’s like we change the atmosphere, you know? We don’t think about the fighting, we just celebrate, and I got 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.”
Will Ilia Topuria land his first Octagon title at UFC 298 this weekend?