Aleksandre Topuria, brother of UFC champ Ilia, announces he's signed with UFC

Featherweight champion Ilia Topuria now has familial company in the UFC.

On Thursday, Topuria’s brother, Aleksandre Topuria, announced on Instagram that he has signed a contract with the UFC. Aleksandre, who competes at bantamweight, did not include terms of the deal.

Aleksandre, 28, is one year older than Ilia. He owns a 5-1 record while competing only sparingly as a professional in Spain for the past nine years. Aleksandre fought three times in 2015, going 2-1, and then competed once each in 2021, 2022 and 2023. Three of his five wins have been finishes.

“In my mind and heart, the desire to battle on the front lines has never faded, which is why I have never stopped doing it, but this time it will be in the biggest league in the world,” Aleksandre wrote.

Although Aleksandre will soon make his UFC debut, he’s no stranger to the octagon as he’s cornered Ilia during his run to winning the featherweight this past February with a knockout of Alexander Volkanovski at UFC 298.