Ilia Topuria, 100-meter sprints Usain Bolt-style: “Wait, wasn’t it 10...?”
El Matador suffers through one of his least favorite training sessions at Madrid’s High-Performance Center.
Ilia Topuria is counting down the days until his next fight, set for June 28 in Las Vegas. The suspense is over. His opponent has been confirmed: Charles Oliveira. Dana White has officially confirmed the fight, a clash of styles, pedigree, and momentum that now has a date and a name.
Topuria’s brutal training regime
In the meantime, El Matador is staying locked in on his preparation. And not just anywhere, but at Madrid’s High Performance Centre (Centro de Alto Rendimiento) — the elite training facility where Spanish Olympians like Carolina Marín and Ray Zapata hone their craft.
With his strength and conditioning coach, Jesús Gallo, Topuria gave a glimpse of a brutal anaerobic workout. Flat-out 100-meter sprints on the track. “We’re about to start one of the sessions I like the least,” he says with a grin.
“Twelve sets of 100 meters,” Gallo tells him.“Weren’t we doing ten?” Topuria asks, half-joking.“You always do two extra,” Gallo replies. “Because you never know what might happen in a fight.”
It’s all part of the plan to sharpen Topuria’s body for a lightweight showdown that’s getting closer by the hour.
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