PBD Podcast
"I'll Submit Him" – Ilia Topuria CALLS OUT Islam Makhachev, OPENS UP On Putin & Russia | PBD Podcast | Ep. 566
Fri, 11 Apr 2025
Undefeated UFC champ Ilia Topuria joins Patrick Bet-David to talk about his legacy, fighting Islam Makhachev, out-earning Ronaldo, and his journey from Georgia to global stardom. Raw, confident, and deeply personal.------👕 GET THE LATEST VT MERCH: https://bit.ly/3BZbD6l📕 PBD'S BOOK "THE ACADEMY": https://bit.ly/41rtEV4📰 VTNEWS.AI: https://bit.ly/3OExClZ🎙️ FOLLOW THE PODCAST ON SPOTIFY: https://bit.ly/4g57zR2🎙️ FOLLOW THE PODCAST ON ITUNES: https://bit.ly/4g1bXAh🎙️ FOLLOW THE PODCAST ON ALL PLATFORMS: https://bit.ly/4eXQl6A📱 CONNECT ON MINNECT: https://bit.ly/4ikyEkC👔 BET-DAVID CONSULTING: https://bit.ly/3ZjWhB7🎓 VALUETAINMENT UNIVERSITY: https://bit.ly/3BfA5Qw📺 JOIN THE CHANNEL: https://bit.ly/4g5C6Or💬 TEXT US: Text “PODCAST” to 310-340-1132 to get the latest updates in real-time!ABOUT US:Patrick Bet-David is the founder and CEO of Valuetainment Media. He is the author of the #1 Wall Street Journal Bestseller “Your Next Five Moves” (Simon & Schuster) and a father of 2 boys and 2 girls. He currently resides in Ft. Lauderdale, Florida.
Chapter 1: Why does Ilia Topuria believe he can shock the world?
I really know that I have the ability to shock the world. You're fight ready. You think he's fight ready to go up against you today? Him? Yeah. No. I finished him in the first round. Me, personally, I would ask him, like, what's your favorite submission? I'm going to submit you with that. I have to do it. Did you say you want to make more money than Ronaldo? I want to make more money than...
Everyone. Why is that? And how are you going to do it? You win the medals in the training. You just go to collect them in the fight. That's what Michael would talk about. Yeah, but at the end of the day, he was playing basketball. Now I'm fighting.
Chapter 2: What are Ilia Topuria's thoughts on Putin and Russia?
What do you think about Zelensky, Putin? There's how the world sees it, but then you're in the region. They see your face is saying something, though. Look how fat he looks.
A little pimple. A little pimple?
Yeah, probably pimple, pimble.
You're waiting for that phone call, huh? I'm waiting. I'm very excited, to be honest. Sport is sport. We athletes, I respect all of that. But there are lines that you can't cross.
Oh, my goodness. That power. Wow. He's still down. He's still out cold.
Did you ever think you would make it? I feel I'm supposed to take sweet victory. I know this life meant for me. Adam, what's your point?
The future looks bright.
My handshake is better than anything I ever saw. It's right here.
You are a 101? My son's right there.
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Chapter 3: How does Ilia Topuria view his future and career earnings?
life that they have like business wise it's not the best place spain spain but it's your favorite place no matter what like the quality of life that we have in spain you can find it anywhere in the world like for example in miami i love miami but we are recording yes we're recording Okay, so the quality of the food and everything, it's very different to Spain. Not close to Spain.
Not close to Spain. So the food is the best for you in Spain? The food, the product. Then the traffic. I spent an hour to come here. In Spain, this distance, I will be there, I don't know, in 30 minutes.
so how how much time we spend yeah do you spend here in the traffic that's quality of life like food traffic i don't know everything's so expensive you can you can make a lot of money are you very detailed like are you a very detailed guy like you know personality wise in business uh you know when when you try to profile somebody you're recruiting somebody like let me see what personality this person is
Extremely analytical, extremely structured, organized. Like you had a little bit of thing, you had to go clean it up with a shirt, right? Extremely action-oriented. Let's go out. What are we going to do? Let's beat them. Let's competitive. And in relationship, very good with people, right? You care about the relationship and all that stuff.
Are you more analytical, structured, systematized, action-oriented, competitive, or more relationship with friends and family?
more relationship with friends and family and i'm more with with energy like my with feelings it depends how i feel with the with the person because i can have a lot of information for example about someone But then I met him in person and the feeling I have with him is completely different. So, yeah.
Very interesting. I ask that because when you're saying quality of life, to think quality of life of the conversation we're having, you have to be analytical a little bit to pay attention to the details to say, it took me one hour to come up, but it would have been 30 minutes where I live. I have two kids.
If you are raising kids, you've got to take them to the school. You've got to take them to different activities. So if I have to spend between every activity an hour in the traffic, that's a lot of time for me. So at the end of the day, I've got to have to take something from them to optimize that time. So... I look at it from time-wise. And you're very active with your kids?
Are you very involved? My kid, my boy, he doesn't live with me. My girl, she's eight months old, but we are planning everything now. Where are we going to live? Where are we going to rise to? How are we going to do it? So I'm planning. I'm 20 years old. And you're just getting started. I'm getting started.
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Chapter 4: What does Ilia Topuria think about his potential fight with Islam Makhachev?
You've seen this. Okay, play this clip for the audience if they haven't seen it.
Go for it. He said, you know what, I want to go up to 155 pounds, fight the number one contender, and then if he wins that, then he fights Islam. I think that's good, brother. I think he deserves. I think if you move up and you beat somebody like Dustin Poirier or Charles Oliveira, He's next. Why not? Because there is nobody. So you don't think right now Ilya deserves a shot at 155 pounds?
Without fighting in 155? Without? No, I don't think. Because Islam already gives chance. And people talk bad about, like, oh, he fight two time with Volkanovski. But the UFC pushed this fight. And this fight was good in first fight. But why Islam have to give three time chance for 145 champion? Why? It's not fair for 155 pounds. Right, right.
Yeah.
I like Charles, but I think so too. I think Ilya can beat him.
He's saying that I don't deserve it. But he's saying from a fighter's perspective. But as a promoter, it works a little bit different. So now you're thinking Dana. Yeah.
Got it. So you think Dana would be excited about you fighting Dustin or Charles? I don't think so. I don't think so. Right.
That will be a making a step back, I think.
Yeah. I understand what he's saying, but I tell you who I want to see as a fan. I'm talking purely as a fan. If there is the fight with you and Islam, That could be one of the biggest pay-per-views if that takes place.
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Chapter 5: How does Ilia Topuria prepare mentally for a fight?
Before I walk in the octagon, I was like, thanks God to give me the opportunity to be the first one to knock him out. Where does the confidence come from? From hard work and dedication. from and from God, I think so. And I'm gonna sound a little bit repetitive, but I always prefer to think about to have the kind of thoughts that make me feel happy, that empowers me. Because I feel fear.
Of course I do. But both of them, fear and faith, the magic that you never saw. I always... Prefer to believe in something that makes me feel happy. Fear. Yeah.
Fear. So you feel fear while you're going into the ring or at that point you're not... When you are backstage, you feel that. You feel fear backstage. Of course. Adrenaline right here. Of course you do.
Everyone does it. Everyone. How do you deal with it? How do you deal with it? I use it like from a positive way. I use it from like... I don't know. The first thing that happens where you are backstage, your mind used to take you to the octagon. And in reality, you are in the backstage. And I'm like, listen, right now I'm with my people, wrapping my hands, warm up.
I don't know, whatever I'm doing, but I'm not fighting with anyone. So don't worry about anything. Just... save that energy because you are going to need that concentration, that focus inside the octagon. So if you are able to, don't let your mind to travel to the future, You are ahead of your opponents.
When you're backstage and your anxiety goes, is there anybody you want around you that brings you down? No. Or is it like your brother calms you down? Is it a coach that calms you down? Or do you just want to be left alone to yourself to have the conversations in your mind yourself? Myself.
Nobody else? Nobody else. I just go, I watch myself in the mirror, and I'm like, this is the person you have to beat. The person in the mirror. Yeah. This is the person you have to meet. This is the person you have to meet. Are you listening to any music or no? I don't... Like, whatever. Like, oh, I play the music. Someone from my team plays the music. I don't have any...
I don't know how to say it in English. Ritual? Supersticiones. Oh, supersticiones.
Got it. You're not superstitious. Yeah. You're not at all. Not at all. So you will step on a line. You won't step over a line. If you touch something, you won't have to touch it three times. Exactly. You're not like that at all.
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Chapter 6: What are Ilia Topuria's insights on his opponents and fight IQ?
It's a little bit different for the boxing of MMA than for boxing, boxing.
Pure boxing. Makes sense. And by the way, Max Holloway was known as a guy that he would say he had the best stand-up. No, no, no. He was saying that, but that wasn't the truth. So you don't even think he's the best stand-up?
No, no, no.
Compared to you or compared to anybody else?
It's not like, take me out from the equation. I don't think that I saw anyone in MMA that I was like, he has a great boxing career. No one. It doesn't matter from... Conor? You see, he was one of those, but even Conor, he had a great boxing for MMA. Very, I don't know, MMA stance. In boxing, you can't go like that because you are going to suffer. But he had better boxing than a lot of people.
yeah but max you know boxing is about simple moments you can do so much moments and switch the standards uh switch the stands all the time that's not boxing in boxing you have to be like very disciplined all the time under very protected you have to select all your combinations you have to move your head
And you have to be very good to administrate your energy, you know, because you have 12 rounds. And that's a completely different movie.
Your matchup with Makachev, where do you have the advantage and where does he?
This is what I told you. You ask me, I feel that I have the advantage in everything. This is what I truly believe you... Me personally, I would ask him, like, what's your favorite submission? Whatever. I don't know. Dark show. I'm going to submit you with that.
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Chapter 7: How does Ilia Topuria perceive his boxing skills?
Go back, Rob. The acquisition. So this is very important. I want to explain this part to you. Humberto, can you come here and explain this? Unwarranted influence. Humberto, can you come in here just to explain this part? I think he's going to come here if you can. Can you just translate this part if you could, if you want to give him the mic? So when he's saying it, just translate the key words.
So the acquisition of unwarranted influence.
Thank you.
Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you.
Thank you. Thank you.
Thank you. Thank you. Thank you.
Thank you.
Thank you. Thank you.
Thank you. Thank you.
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