UFC 282 fighter drinks bottles of wine while cutting weight for main card fight

UFC featherweight Ilia Topuria recently revealed a unique way to cut weight. The Georgian-Spanish fighter indulges in a 'tradition' that involves sipping wine as he undergoes the grueling task of making weight before weigh-ins.

In an interview with The Schmo, Topuria explained his unusual methods when Dave Schmulenson expressed his surprise at witnessing a fighter drink 'vino' to lose weight. 'El Matador' said:

"We're doing great man. This was the easiest weight cut I've ever had... So this is a tradition we do. We call it an El Matador tradition... We're going to get drunk tonight. "

Watch Ilia Topuria's full interview with The Schmo below:

Ilia Topuria will face Bryce Mitchell at UFC 282 in a featherweight contest at the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada. This fight holds significant ramifications for both these contenders as one of them will likely lose their undefeated status on Saturday, December 10.

Topuria last beat Jai Herbert in March at UFC Fight Night 204, winning via a second-round knockout. 'Thug Nasty' is coming off a unanimous decision win over Edson Barboza at UFC 272.

---

Ilia Topuria claims Paddy Pimblett is scared to fight him in the UFC octagon

Ilia Topuria and Paddy Pimblett's bad blood dates back to March earlier this year when the two had an altercation. Following some insensitive comments made by 'The Baddy' about Topuria's native country of Georgia, it is clear that the hatchet has not yet been buried.

At a recent UFC 282 press conference, Topuria and Pimblett were restrained by security officials as they tried to confront each other during a war of words. Topuria recently tweeted that Pimblett was escorted out the back door of the performance institute to avoid any incident as 'El Matador' arrived.

Speaking at the same presser, Topuria stated the same while adding that the 27-year-old is scared to face him in the octagon. He said:

“I don’t think he has the balls to face me and close himself in the octagon with me. So f*** him. You see, he didn’t give me a response. Why? Because he’s scared of me.”

Watch the full press conference below:

A Topuria vs. Pimblett fight would certainly seem possible, with the 25-year-old winning his last fight against Jai Herbert via second-round knockout in his lightweight debut. Pimblett last beat Jordan Leavitt via second-round submission.

However, both fights will face significant challenges this weekend as Ilia Topuria takes on another undefeated featherweight, Bryce Mitchell. Meanwhile, Pimblett is gearing up to fight Jared Gordon in the last pay-per-view event of the year in a co-headlining bout.