Aleksandre Topuria, the older brother of UFC featherweight champion Ilia Topuria, will make his UFC debut against Cody Haddon at UFC 312 in Sydney on February 9, 2024.
Guess what? A new pair of brothers is stepping into the UFC ring soon.
MMA Fighting spilled the beans: Aleksandre Topuria, who’s the elder sibling of featherweight champ Ilia Topuria, will be making his debut at UFC 312. He’s set to face Cody Haddon in a bantamweight clash. Álvaro Colmenero was the first to break this exciting news.
At 28, with a record of just 5-1, Topuria hasn’t fought since May 2023. His last match ended with a first-round finish over Johan Segas in Spain’s The Way of Warrior FC. Known as “El Cazador,” he signed with the UFC back in August. Why the hiatus? He paused his career to help his brother snag the featherweight title but now, he’s ready to chase his own MMA dreams again.
Meanwhile, Cody Haddon, just 26, joined the UFC after a slick first-round submission victory over Billy Brand on the latest season of Contender Series. His career stands at 8-1, with his only loss against former flyweight title contender Steve Erceg in 2021.
Mark your calendars! UFC 312 is happening on Feb. 9 at Sydney’s Qudos Bank Arena. The event promises fireworks with a middleweight title rematch between Dricus du Plessis and Sean Strickland, plus a strawweight title bout featuring Weili Zhang against Tatiana Suarez.
Props to Mike Heck for contributing to this report.