Trouble in paradise?
Former Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) Featherweight champion, Ilia Topuria, will chase “double champ” status next month (Sat., June 28, 2025) against former Lightweight kingpin, Charles Oliveira, at UFC 317 inside T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada.
But he’ll do so without his longtime coaches, Jorge and Agustin Climent, according to Spanish outlet MARCA, which reported the news today.
The report states that Topuria and his brother, Aleksandre Topuria, parted ways with the Climent brothers due to geographical conflicts. “Both sides live in different cities, and their multiple professional projects prevent them from collaborating as they once did,” the outlet noted.
The Climent brothers operate Climent Club in Alicante, Spain, where they have overseen Topuria’s Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu (BJJ), grappling, and overall mixed martial arts (MMA) training since he was 15.
Topuria’s move to Madrid, Spain, last year evidently strained the long-distance coaching relationship.
Topuria did wish his long-time coaches well by saying, “We thank them for all these years of mutual learning and growth, and they wholeheartedly wish them all the best in all their projects.”
Topuria’s current coaching team remains unconfirmed, but it is safe to say his boxing coach, Javi Climent (unrelated to the Climent brothers), and physical trainer, Dr. Aldo, are expected to stay on.
Is this another Rose/Whittman situation?
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