MMA Knockout

Ilia Topuria's brother Aleksandre impresses with debut victory at UFC 312

The elder Topuria has officially joined the UFC bantamweight division.

Drew Beaupre

(Zuffa LLC)

One of the most highly-anticipated matchups of the UFC 312 prelims was a fight between debuting bantamweight prospects.

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Taking place at Qudos Bank Arena in Sydney, New South Wales, Australia, the main attraction of UFC 312 was the two title fights at the top of the bill, but the card also featured six fighters looking to score big wins in their UFC debuts.

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Perhaps none of the debuting fighters at UFC 312 faced as much pressure and pre-event scrutiny as Ilia Topuria's older brother Aleksandre, who was orginally scheduled to meet Cody Haddon before Colby Thicknesse stepped in to make his own debut on just a few weeks' notice.

Topuria entered the night as a significant favorite despite the fact that he was competing for the first time since 2023, while the undefeated Thicknesse collected four wins in 2024 and claimed the HEX Fight Series bantamweight belt in his last outing in November.

A competitive first round saw Topuria briefly drop Thicknesse after the two men spent the first few minutes exchanging strikes, and "El Conquistador" puncuated the first five minutes by landing a huge suplex just before the bell sounded.

Topuria continued stalking his opponent from the center of the cage to start the second frame, and while Thicknesse did get a bit more aggressive as the round went on the Australian failed to land anything of major consequence and once again had his takedown attempts stifled.

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Another early shot from Thicknesse saw the two men engage in the first prolonged grappling exchange of the fight to start the third round. Topuria eventually found himself in top position, and while Thicknesse did threaten some submissions from his back he was unable to avoid losing a clear unanimous decision.

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Drew Beaupre
DREW BEAUPRE

Drew is an MMA writer that regularly watches regional events in addition to major promotions such as the UFC, PFL, Bellator, and ONE Championship. He joined MMA Knockout when it was founded in 2023.

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