First Georgian UFC World Champion welcomed in Tbilisi

Ilia Topuria, a Georgian mixed martial arts wrestler who last month became the first athlete from the country to earn the title of the UFC World Featherweight Champion, was welcomed by supporters in Tbilisi on Monday. 
 

Local media reported Topuria arrived in Tbilisi Airport to a gathering of fans, with the wrestler set to watch the Euro 2024 qualifying match between Georgia and Luxembourg from the stands at Dinamo Arena stadium in the city.
 

The wrestler could showcase his championship belt as part of his presence for the football game on Thursday.
 

His arrival follows an announcement by Mikheil Peikrishvili, the Head of the Strategic Communications Department of the Administration of the Government, last week that Topuria would visit the country at the invitation of Prime Minister Irakli Kobakhidze.
 

The MMA wrestler last month knocked out his Australian rival Alexander Volkanovski in the second round of the main event of UFC 298 to become the new Featherweight World Champion.