UFC featherweight Ilia Topuria has revealed he is using an infrared neurostimulator to improve focus, sleep, and mental recovery, describing its concentration effect as unmatched. Topuria also credited his physiotherapist Raul Valdesuso with relieving chronic shoulder heaviness through techniques sourced in part from AI tools, with the improvement carrying over into his training sessions.
Ilia Topuria has pulled back the curtain on two recovery methods he says are playing a significant role in how he prepares mentally and physically ahead of his next appearance inside the octagon.
The UFC's number-one pound-for-pound fighter revealed he has been working with an infrared neurostimulator, a device he says delivers unmatched benefits for concentration, sleep quality, and overall mental recovery. Topuria described the tool in emphatic terms, suggesting the focus it produces stands apart from anything else he has tried in his preparation routine.
Topuria, known as El Matador, currently sits ranked second in the lightweight division at just 29 years old. The Spanish fighter out of Climent Club carries a record of 17 wins and 1 loss, and his standing as the top pound-for-pound competitor in the UFC reflects the kind of sustained elite performance that demands equally elite recovery. Standing five-foot-seven with a 69-inch reach, Topuria averages 4.81 significant strikes per minute with 48 percent striking accuracy, numbers that require sharp mental engagement every time he trains.
On the physical side, Topuria credited his physiotherapist Raul Valdesuso with resolving what he described as chronic heaviness in his shoulder. He noted that Valdesuso sourced some of his treatment techniques partly through AI tools, and that the relief from the shoulder issue has carried directly into his training sessions.
Why it matters
- Topuria is the pound-for-pound number-one fighter, meaning his health and preparation carry outsized significance for the division and the sport broadly
- The shoulder improvement addresses what had been a persistent physical concern that could have limited his output, particularly given his 1.96 takedowns per fifteen minutes and 1.1 submission attempts per fifteen minutes, which demand full-body physical integrity
- The use of AI-assisted physiotherapy represents an emerging trend in elite combat sports recovery worth tracking as the tools become more widely adopted
