Ilia Topuria’s team shake-up takes spotlight as coach addresses sudden exit from former UFC champion's team

A major shake-up has transpired in Ilia Topuria's fight camp ahead of UFC 317 next month. For his battle for the vacant UFC lightweight throne against Charles Oliveira, 'El Matador' and his brother, Alexandre Topuria, will no longer be training with their long-time coaching staff, the Climent Brothers.

In an interview with Submission Radio on YouTube, Jorge Climent confirmed the split and also explained what motivated the premature exodus of the Topuria brothers from his team.

Climent said:

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"Yes, this is real. He [Topuria] has gone to live in Madrid and I have my own project here with my brother. We have our family. We have our club. We have a lot of fighters. We have our promotion. Ilia goes to Madrid, he has his own house and he wants all the energy on him, you know. And we decide like, [to] have our own way."

Climent and his brother Agustin run Climent Club, an MMA gym located in Alicante, Spain - about four hours away from Ilia Topuria's home city of Madrid.

Check out Jorge Climent's comments below (0:19):

Jorge Climent on Ilia Topuria split: "That is life"

While this is huge news, it seems Jorge Climent is quite okay with how things turned out. He did, however, acknowledge the sentimentality of parting ways with one of his oldest students.

When asked what he felt about the whole thing, Climent said:

"I feel, you know, always...This is not good for the sentimental thing, you know. But [that] is the life. We go with him [through] all the journey and now, he grows and he wants to fly away, you know. We are very proud [to have gone] all the way with him. We are very proud of everything he did, you know." [1:42 onwards]

Climent then said that while he felt "sad" that the Topuria's left his team, he wished them all the best in life, saying:

"Yes, of course, we are a little sad. But I want everything in his [Topuria's] life to continue going well, you know. I want all good for him and his brother and I think they do the same for us." [2:48 onwards]

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Edited by Tejas Rathi