“I get very buzzed” - Ilia Topuria explains ritual of drinking wine the night before weigh-ins for his fights

Ilia Topuria is just days away from the biggest fight of his career, a featherweight title clash with long-reigning champion Alexander Volkanovski, set to headline UFC 298.

The official weigh-ins will take place on Feb. 16, and according to the title challenger, he will be spending his last night of weight-cutting enjoying half a liter of wine.

Weight cutting is, without doubt, the most brutal practice undertaken by fighters, and it's uncommon for athletes to consume alcohol whilst shedding their bodies of water.

But for 'El Matador', the wine helps him lose even more weight, as it helps dehydrate him, according to his nutritionist.

During a recent interview with Michael Bisping ahead of UFC 298, the undefeated featherweight discussed his pre-weigh-in ritual and said this:

"You know that on Thursday it's a very hard night for every fighter because it's the day before weigh-ins. So it's hard to sleep, hard to rest. But I drink half a liter of wine, I get very buzzed. And I have such a great time with everyone. We change the atmosphere, we don't think about the fighting, we just celebrate."

He continued:

"I go to sleep like a baby. I wake up the next morning with two pounds less, because of the dehydration. Everything plays out really well for me."

Watch Ilia Topuria's interview below from 1:55:

---

Israel Adesanya breaks down and predicts Alexander Volkanovski vs. Ilia Topuria

UFC 298 is set to kick off a three-month stretch of unbelievably stacked pay-per-view cards.

This weekend's PPV, which will take place in Anaheim, California, will play host to a number of exciting matchups. But arguably none more anticipated than the main event between Alexander Volkanovski and Ilia Topuria.

'El Matador' is oozing with confidence ahead of his first title bout and believes that his opponent is in a vulnerable position after being knocked out in his previous fight against Islam Makhachev.

But Volkanovski is yet to be defeated at featherweight throughout his career, and ahead of his upcoming title defense, his teammate, Israel Adesanya, shared his prediction for the bout.

He said this:

"Alexander 'The Great' Volkanovski. I'm going to go late stoppage, round four. Yeah, round four, KO or TKO. I think he's just going to exhaust him. It's different when you're in the championship rounds but you have Alexander Volkanovski in your face."

Watch Israel Adesanya's breakdown below from 10:30: