In a revealing conversation on Joe Rogan‘s JRE MMA Show #166, UFC featherweight champion Ilia Topuria shared the surprising story of how his martial arts journey led him to Brazilian jiu-jitsu—a path that began with his parents’ chance encounter and some persuasive Gracie family footage.
A Chance Discovery
Before becoming one of UFC’s most formidable champions, Topuria‘s combat sports foundation was built on judo, which he began at age four, followed by Garmon wrestling in his native Georgia. However, it was a fortuitous moment in Spain that would ultimately set him on the path to UFC glory.
“Totally by chance,” Topuria explained to Rogan how his family discovered jiu-jitsu after relocating to Spain. His mother spotted a man with cauliflower ears—that telltale sign of grappling experience—and inquired about wrestling opportunities for her sons.
Complete Novice to the Ground Game
What makes Topuria‘s story particularly remarkable is that neither he nor his family had any prior knowledge of Brazilian jiu-jitsu or mixed martial arts before this encounter.
“I didn’t know anything about mixed martial arts, I didn’t know anything about BJJ, the ground game, any f*cking thing,” Topuria candidly admitted during the podcast.
It was at this critical juncture that Topuria‘s father played a decisive role. Recognizing the potential value of this martial art for his son, he showed young Ilia videos of the legendary Gracie family—pioneers who revolutionized martial arts by developing and popularizing Brazilian jiu-jitsu.
The elder Topuria insisted to his son that Brazilian jiu-jitsu was “one of the best sports in the world,” a claim that would prove prophetic given Ilia’s eventual rise to UFC championship status.
Love at First Roll
The videos and his father’s encouragement were enough to get Topuria through the gym doors, but what happened next couldn’t have been predicted.
“At that day we went to the gym and I fell in love since the first second,” Topuria recalled, describing his immediate connection to the martial art that would become fundamental to his style.
This instant passion for jiu-jitsu, sparked at age 15, came after Topuria had already established what Rogan described as “an established grappling base” through his years of judo and wrestling training.
Building the Complete Fighter
That foundation proved invaluable as Topuria continued developing his skills. He later added boxing at age 17, creating the well-rounded skill set that has made him one of the most dangerous fighters in his division.
During their conversation, Rogan emphasized how this comprehensive approach to martial arts training—beginning with grappling fundamentals—has become increasingly essential in modern MMA:
“I think in the future, guys like you will be everywhere. There will be only guys like you at world championship level.”
Topuria agreed with this assessment:
“If you want to be the best, you have to be the best everywhere the fight takes place—in the ground, and the wrestling, and the striking.”
From Parental Persuasion to Championship Gold
What began with a parent’s intuition and some Gracie family footage has culminated in UFC championship gold. Topuria‘s journey illustrates the profound impact that early exposure to Brazilian jiu-jitsu can have on a fighter’s development.
For Topuria, who now stands among the elite of mixed martial arts, that fateful introduction to the Gracie family’s revolutionary martial art wasn’t just the beginning of a new hobby—it was the foundation upon which he would build a championship career.
As he told Rogan, in Brazilian jiu-jitsu,
“you never end up learning.”
This continuous growth mindset, instilled from those early days watching Gracie videos with his father, has helped transform Topuria from a curious teenager into one of the UFC’s most formidable champions.
