Ilia Topuria has entered a new dimension. The Spanish UFC featherweight champion dreamed it again and executed it. In his day, when he was not yet a fighter for the largest mixed martial arts organization on the planet, he predicted that one day, not too far away, he would win the world title. That day came last February, when he turned off the lights on one of the best fighters in featherweight history, Alexander Volkanovski, as he walked out to the octagon shouting “I dreamed it.” The UFC wanted him active and everything fell into place for Max Holloway to become the official challenger for the belt. The Matador began with his visualization and spent weeks, even months, ensuring that he would knock out the Hawaiian, who had never lost in this way in 29 fights in the UFC. And so it was. This Saturday, Topuria landed a left hook that sent him to the canvas, and He demolished the wall that separates the stars from the legends, in the presence of Don Juan Carlos and Sergio Ramos.
The best of all is that the Spanish athlete is only 27 years old, an age at which fighters usually have not reached their best shape in this sport. That is to say, although the present is bright, the future is very promising, with a legacy that, Topuria predicts, will involve seeking other belts in higher weight divisions. But, although he has already declared on occasion that he will not unnecessarily stretch his professional career, he is in no hurry. “I’m going to go step by step,” he said after defeating Max Holloway, one of the most legendary fighters within the American company.
Analyzing the context of possible confrontations that El Matador has ahead of him, one of the so-called ‘money fights’ (fights in which huge sums of money would be moved) that had been talked about for a long time was that of Conor McGregor. However, in the last exclusive interview on ABC, Topuria assured that he was no longer interested in his figure because “he is finished”, something that ironically reaffirmed when questioned about it when knocking out Holloway. «Let him call McGregor? “It will be for drinks, but not for anything else,” he mocked. Another alternative that Topuria is extremely excited about is the possibility of fastening the lightweight belt, in the hands of Islam Makhachev, Khabib Nurmagomedov’s pupil. And be careful, because the featherweight champion is already warning that he will go after him, sooner or later. «No one has subdued him, so I want to subdue him»he sentenced.
Spearhead and realistic options
All of the previously mentioned options would be fights of enormous significance for Topuria, but the reality is that the CEO of the UFC, Dana White, has, a priori, other plans for the Hispanic-Georgian. Regarding the next opponent he should face, Volkanovski’s entry into the octagon after the fight in Abu Dhabi resolved many doubts. The one who was monarch of the division until Topuria sent him to sleep in Anaheim (California) last February He could get his starting opportunity again in 2025 and, in addition, he had the blessing of the athlete residing in Madrid. «To be honest, there is no one who deserves the title more than Volkanovski. He was a great champion, he fought everyone in the division. I want to take a break, so we’ll see what happens. “I may fight with a new candidate, I don’t know if I will have to fight with someone new,” said the champion, who did not close the door on the man who went to the Etihad Arena as a possible replacement, Diego Lopes, could take that opportunity if events they require it.
The truth is that planning for next year is already underway. Topuria will be Spain’s spearhead for the UFC to land in our country. The Spanish champion has become a stellar figure, who is helping to establish a discipline once reviled in our country. He is already a Rafa Nadal of tennis or a Fernando Alonso of Formula 1. But there is one last step missing for MMA to finish exploiting our borders and Topuria has promised that he will achieve it. «I have a pending conversation with Dana White, if you put an octagon inside the Santiago Bernabéu the fighters look like ants, but he has reasons for doing it. I will sit with him and push towards the Bernabéu. He is the one who has the experience. “I would like to fight again before the summer of 2025 in Spain,” said Topuria after defending the belt in Abu Dhabi.
Now, the ball is in the court of the UFC, which already began its field research work a long time ago, with a not very positive result. «We don’t know if we will go in the summer or when it will be, but we need to go to Spain in 2025. The problem is that all the venues are occupied, but as soon as they are free, we will be there. I need availability, the good thing is that we have never stopped doing something we wanted to do, it is important to be there,” explained Dana White after a question from ABC. The Santiago Bernabéu thing is still possible, but The CEO of the UFC recalled that he dislikes those facilities to hold events because of his experience. “I hate going to stadiums, but if that’s what needs to be done… we will do it,” he said.
Furthermore, regarding the roots of this sport in our country, Topuria, when asked by this newspaper, assured that he will fight for the acceptance of mixed martial arts and its introduction from an early age, even in schools. «It could be taught in schools. They associate mixed martial arts with violence and it is completely the opposite. People who practice mixed martial arts are the noblest people, the ones who transmit the most peace. “It would be a good idea, I have never seen it that way,” concluded the UFC champion.
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