Ilia Topuria clearly enjoys an ultra-luxury lifestyle with ‘El Matador’s $2 million personal gym situated inside his home in Madrid, probably being his most expensive prized possession. Throughout his journey, the Georgian-Spaniard’s high-tech setup helped him reach peak physical condition. But amid his divorce, the lightweight champion appeared to be training elsewhere, which made fans wonder if he still owns the gym.

“Ilia Topuria is looking SHARP in new training footage 👀😳,” popular MMA page Championship Rounds posted, showing Topuria training at a new and far less fancy gym.

Seeing the lightweight kingpin working out in what looked like a major downgrade, fans could not hold back from trolling him. One fan quickly chimed in, “Went from a multi-million dollar advanced gym to his friends gloomy garage 😭🙏.” Another user followed up by targeting Topuria for not patching things up with his ex-wife, Giorgina Uzcategui Badell, writing, “Shoulda made the marriage work.”

Now, while it’s unclear whether the Georgian-Spaniard built the gym with his ex-partner’s money, he previously told Daniel Cormier in an interview that his side income, likely from sponsorships, helped him built the gym. Still, one fan believed Topuria is actually broke, writing, “😭😭😭 He lost his wife’s money. He used to pretend that he’s super rich.”

Keeping the jokes coming, another user wrote, “he went from a personal gym with his logo on the ground to my grandma’s attic.” Then another passionate fan added, “She took our gym and sauna but WE are not losing the kids.” Here, the fan hinted at how ‘El Matador’ recently won the first legal hearing against Uzcategui, which allowed Topuria to see his daughter after four months.

After that, another fan stepped in to give everyone a reality check, writing, “Don’t forget he’s still a millionaire lol.” According to reports, Topuria earned an estimated $3–4 million for his UFC 317 fight against Charles Oliveira, which puts him well past the multi-million mark. Keeping the positive tone alive, another fan added, “Friends gloomy garage is where champions are made,” followed by, “Real champions can train anywhere.”

And judging by Ilia Topuria’s training, he is not holding back. With a possible superfight on the horizon, the two-division champion knows he will need to push even harder to come out with more victories.  

Ilia Topuria vs. Islam Makhachev could happen sooner than expected

In the dream UFC superfights, Ilia Topuria vs. Islam Makhachev would probably be at the top of the card, as it features the top two pound-for-pound fighters. Both fighters have been on a collision course, but after the Dagestani icon became the 170-pound champion, the chances of this fight dipped a little.

Still, ‘El Matador’ has made it clear that he wants to move to welterweight and challenge Makhachev in the hunt for a third gold belt at the still-projected UFC White House event. Interestingly, the Russian juggernaut has also considered this option. Despite all the buildup, there has been very little movement from the UFC regarding the actual making of this fight. However, Merab Dvalishvili, Topuria’s close friend and Georgian compatriot, recently hinted that it could happen sooner than expected.

“I know some details from Ilia. It might happen sooner than we imagine,” the former bantamweight champion told MMA Pro Pick in an interview.

To be fair, Dana White also said on the Full Send podcast last year that he would not oppose Topuria moving up to face Islam Makhachev in a welterweight superfight. But with ‘El Matador’ still having serious contenders in his division, including the winner of Paddy Pimblett vs. Justin Gaethje at UFC 324 and Arman Tsarukyan waiting in the mix, the question remains whether the Georgian-Spaniard’s move is truly realistic unless the promotion decides to surprise everyone.

That said, as Ilia Topuria eyes a return in spring or summer this year, what do you think lies ahead for him? Let us know in the comments section below.