Topuria's Extreme Weight Cut Managed by an Alicante Native

Ilia Topuria is just hours away from stepping into the octagon to defend the featherweight title of the UFC against Hawaiian Max Holloway. He will do so this Saturday, October 26, at the Etihad Arena in Abu Dhabi. But before facing 'The Blessed', he must win one of the toughest battles fighters face: the dreaded weight cut, where up to an average of 8 kilos is lost in a few days.

The person in charge of supervising Ilia Topuria's weight cut, aiming not to exceed the 65.8 kilos set by the American company for fighting in the featherweight division, is Alicante native Aldo Martínez, also known as Doctor Aldo , who tells TodoAlicante how this «progressive, yet extensive» process is carried out.

The weight loss is not a one-week process, as it may seem. The tough journey begins 12 weeks before the fight. 'The Matador' follows a 100% organic diet, which allows him to lower his body fat percentage. Therefore, breaded, fried foods, or simple sugars are out of the equation, assures Doctor Aldo, who supervises every intake meticulously to ensure the champion is optimal for the title defense.

During 'fight week', the diet is characterized by not including fibrous or starchy carbohydrates. At the same time, more water is consumed on Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday, with a reduction on Thursday. «This facilitates fluid loss through urine,» states the specialist, who clarifies that the predominant macronutrients in the UFC champion's diet are proteins and fats. «It's normal to see Ilia eating chocolates these days,» guarantees Aldo.

The intense training sessions add to the cause. The Spanish-Georgian fighter trains two to three times a day to raise his basal metabolism, allowing his body to use fat to maintain homeostasis while he sleeps. In addition to diet and training, the physical trainer ensures that good heat adaptation aids weight loss in the final week.

Doctor Aldo states that from the official weigh-in to the fight - about 30 hours - Topuria can regain approximately 10 kilos. His physical trainer estimates that the champion will weigh around 76-77 kilos when the fight begins, allowing him to be fast and increase his endurance in a five-round fight where the quality of the Spanish-Georgian martial artist will be seen.

Doctor Aldo emphasizes dehydration as a key piece of this tough process. The Alicante trainer tells this newspaper that unlike other athletes, Ilia will eat and drink on Thursday, the weight cut day.

After achieving the first round, Topuria will begin a brief but crucial phase to arrive in the best condition for the title defense: rehydration. The first thing he will do is ingest liquids and then solid food.

Once 'The Matador' has made weight this Friday at 9 a.m., the Alicante trainer will be right at the bottom of the platform stairs with the rehydration drink ready, at which point Ilia will begin to drink a determined amount of water slowly at intervals. This aspect of rehydration is also timed, assures Aldo Martínez.