Ilia Topuria speaks out after court hearing and gives hopeful update on daughter with Giorgina Uzcategui Badell

Ilia Topuria spoke to the media on Tuesday in Móstoles, Spain, after attending a court hearing linked to his young daughter. The UFC lightweight champion cleared the air after false online reports claimed he was involved in a criminal case. Ilia Topuria said those reports were not true. He explained the hearing was about a family matter involving his one-and-a-half-year-old daughter.The 28-year-old fighter told reporters he is calm and hopeful. Ilia Topuria said he expects to see his daughter very soon. The hearing was held after his former partner, Giorgina Uzcategui Badell, asked for permission to travel with their child to the United States. The situation has kept his daughter living with her mother during the legal process.Ilia Topuria arrived at the courthouse in Móstoles on Tuesday morning, where Spanish authorities held a hearing linked to custody and travel permissions involving his daughter. According to Europa Press, the case is an administrative family matter, not a criminal one. Speaking to reporters outside the court, Ilia Topuria kept his words short and emotional.“I’m very calm. I’m not stressed at all. I’m going to see my little girl very soon,” he said. “My priority is my daughter, my children, and my family.”The hearing followed confusion created last week when Spanish newspaper El Mundo published a report that wrongly suggested Ilia Topuria had testified in a criminal case. The UFC champion quickly denied that claim on social media. He explained that the court visit was only about his child.Europa Press also reported that Ilia Topuria has not seen his daughter, Giorgina, for about four months. The child is named after her mother, Giorgina Uzcategui Badell. As of now, the court has not announced a final decision on custody or travel rights.Ilia Topuria’s family situation is also affecting his fight future. Before these legal issues became public, Ilia Topuria said he would not compete in the first three months of 2026. He planned to return after March.Because the case is still open, his long break may continue. That has worried some fighters in the lightweight division.Paddy Pimblett spoke about it during an interview on Tom Aspinall’s YouTube channel earlier this month. The Liverpool fighter said he does not want the division to freeze.“If he’s going to sit out that long, I would rather he just vacate and stop holding the division up,” Paddy Pimblett said. “I do want to fight him. But I don’t want to wait like Tom was waiting for Jon.”Paddy Pimblett compared the situation to the long delay between Jon Jones and Tom Aspinall in the heavyweight division.Right now, Paddy Pimblett is set to fight Justin Gaethje at UFC 324. That bout is expected to move the lightweight picture forward while Ilia Topuria focuses on his family and legal matters in Spain.Also Read: Conor McGregor Targets June UFC White House Fight As Comeback Talk Grows After Viral Instagram Post