"We lived in Georgia, went to school there, and anyone familiar with our country’s culture knows it can be pretty tough. There are constant conflicts at school, and you often have to stand up for yourself. And when you’re a kid, you don’t understand what’s right and what’s wrong, how to defend yourself, or who to turn to, because I was always that kid who didn’t like street conflicts — I liked sports.
A lot of people think that training in combat sports makes someone aggressive, but in reality I never liked conflicts in the street. Unfortunately, sometimes I had to deal with those situations, and that’s when I felt fear. I was afraid because during breaks older kids might try to take your money, they could bully you. You start to feel like you’re weak, like you don’t have enough courage, and that you can’t stand up for yourself," Topuria said in an interview with Charlas Adictivas.