UFC fighter Ilia Topuria invests in Spanish fashion brand MR. AB
Madrid – Madrid-based menswear brand MR. AB has just confirmed that fighter Ilia Topuria, the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) world champion in the featherweight and lightweight divisions, has joined as a new investing partner. This move sees him join the project led and co-founded by Tomás Laso-Argos and Rafael Medina.
First teased on social media just over a week ago, MR. AB's management has now officially confirmed the news in a statement. The statement highlighted that the fighter's investment and involvement with the brand stem from a mutual affinity developed over the past few years. While no financial details were disclosed, such as the percentage of share capital acquired by Topuria or the transaction amount, the company did provide details on how the fighter's involvement will contribute to its short, medium and long-term strategies. MR. AB is confident that this partnership with Topuria will accelerate its roadmap, strengthening its international profile and positioning, particularly in the key US market. This is particularly relevant as Topuria, following his much-discussed meeting with President Donald J. Trump in the Oval Office earlier this month, is set to co-headline a historic event on June 14. He will face American Justin Gaethje in a UFC fight for the unification of the lightweight belt, which will take place in the gardens of the White House to mark the US president's 80th birthday.
Ilia Topuria, styled by MR.AB. Credits: MR.AB.
“The relationship between the champion and the brand stems from a pre-existing and organic affinity, based on shared values and an understanding of luxury rooted in discretion, authenticity and personal standards,” stated the management of the Madrid-based fashion brand. “Moving away from the traditional codes of the sector, MR. AB has built its own identity based on aesthetic restraint and a constantly growing international community. With this addition,” the brand emphasised, “it further strengthens its international profile, especially in the United States, consolidating a phase of global expansion and positioning.”
“I am joining something that I already felt was mine,” said Ilia Topuria. “MR. AB truly represents how I see life outside of sport.” He added that it is a project he “saw born from the very beginning,” and “most importantly,” one that “I wear.” “I have always believed that there is a way of doing things that is not taught, but that is recognised in how someone pushes themselves, in how they behave when no one is looking. It is about doing things quietly, pursuing the best version of myself, and constantly working to build something that does not depend on the approval of others.” This life philosophy aligns with the quiet luxury that MR. AB champions as its distinguishing value. “I don't believe in making noise to be seen,” he explained. “I believe in doing things so well that you don't need to explain them.” The fighter concluded, “When you know who you are, you don't need to prove it.”
Founded in Madrid in 2021, MR. AB is the brainchild of Tomás Laso-Argos. He is an entrepreneur with ties to men's fashion and tailoring through ventures like Absolute Bespoke, a made-to-measure suit workshop that creates suits for clients such as Marcos Llorente, Radamel Falcao and, of course, Ilia Topuria himself. His partner is Rafael Medina Abascal, Duke of Feria and son of Naty Abascal, a former muse of Valentino. Medina Abascal has an extensive background in the fashion industry. He was a founding partner of the Seville-based fashion brand Scalpers; a director at Massimo Dutti; and head of curator at Wow, the once-promising retail project launched by Dimas Gimeno, former executive chairman of El Corte Inglés.
MR.AB store in Galería Canalejas, Madrid, Spain. Credits: MR.AB.
Almost exactly a year after joining Wow, Medina and Laso-Argos combined their efforts and expertise to found MR. AB in Madrid. The project is broadly presented as the prêt-à-porter line of the bespoke tailoring venture, Absolute Bespoke. It also continues the spirit with which Medina founded Scalpers in 2007. At that time, the Seville-based brand was launched with a much more elevated market position than it currently holds and a stronger focus on tailoring. This combination of drives and intentions is reflected in the brand's name, MR. AB. The initials are often attributed to Abascal (A) and Bespoke (B), but could also stand for Absolute Bespoke (AB), which the brand represents in the prêt-à-porter scene.
With retail prices ranging from 260 euros for a polo shirt or Bermuda shorts to 320 euros for trousers and 720 euros for a linen blazer, according to the latest available data, MR. AB closed 2023 with a turnover of nearly one million euros. The management reports that sales have continued to climb, with the brand recording organic growth of over 1,000 percent in “recent years.” The exact timeframe and the figures supporting this growth indicator were not specified. However, during this period, the menswear brand has consistently strengthened its market presence and positioning. MR. AB currently operates online and through its physical stores and points-of-sale in Marbella, where it opened a space inside El Corte Inglés in Puerto Banús on March 28. In Madrid, it has had a flagship store at 23 Calle de Lagasca in the heart of the Salamanca district since May 2025, and another in the Galería Canalejas shopping gallery. The latter, the brand's first space, opened as a pop-up in June 2024 and has remained open ever since. The company now hopes to scale these commercial structures with the financial and brand support of Ilia Topuria, focusing particularly on the US.
In summaryIlia Topuria, UFC world champion, joins menswear brand MR. AB as an investing partner, a company co-founded by Tomás Laso-Argos and Rafael Medina.Topuria's investment aims to boost MR. AB's international profile, particularly in the US market, leveraging his growing visibility.Founded in 2021, MR. AB combines the bespoke tailoring of Absolute Bespoke with the spirit of the “original” Scalpers, and aims to enter a new phase of expansion and consolidation with Topuria's support.
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