An interrupted honeymoon and a son who leaves his father without the Classic: the anecdotes of the Topuria fight in Abu Dhabi

During their fight, at the Etihad Arena in Abu Dhabi, Ilia’s name was loudly chanted, thanks to the support received by about 300 Spanish fans that they met there. Among them, there are some curious stories, since October 26 is not a usual holiday date and, in addition, the Spanish football Classic coincided.

The journalist Laura Fernández, from Eurosport Spain, was able to speak with Samuel, a young man from the Canary Islands who had just gotten married and who He interrupted his honeymoon to go to combat history of Topuria. Of course, with his wife’s permission. Additionally, a father and son traveled from Madrid to enjoy El Matador’s first title defense together. “I’m liking my father a little, although he was left without the Real Madrid game,” the kid noted with grace.

The Spanish fans traveled from all over the national territory. For example, Jean Paul, a 37-year-old Cantabrian who works as a psychologist, could not miss what he defines as “the most important event in the history of Spanish martial arts and one of the most important in our sporting history.” “Ilia Topuria’s fight represents a tremendous breakthrough in the American sports market, since in other sports where we have already shone, such as tennis (Nadal) or especially soccer, there is not much focus,” he says.

The trip for Jean Paul, who flew accompanied by other fans who organized themselves through a Telegram group, was quite eventful. “They did a lot of shit to us, like leaving us stranded in Rome, delaying our flight for 16 hours, losing a night in a hotel, having to wander around the Italian capital soaked and arriving at the press conference without sleeping since we were traveling at dawn,” account. But it was all worth it after the historic victory.

«In our country, the growth is exponential, sometimes it is overwhelming that something that was niche is beginning to become a mass sport like soccer, but in the end, it is better for us and for journalists. Greetings to ABC, my father’s favorite newspaper! » concludes Jean Paul.

Also traveling with him was Rubén, a 36-year-old fan from Gandía, who came to “live something historic” and enjoyed it like never before. “Ilia is making history, both in the UFC and in our country, and being able to say that I was there is a source of pride,” says the young man, who stayed in Dubai with Jean Paul.

But why make so much effort to accompany Topuria on this journey? «MMA has been a big part of my life for many years now.I don’t practice sport but I do consume a lot of content daily, and a year I watch hundreds of fights, it’s a bit of a ‘disease’, but it’s what I like and sport in Spain is growing a lot, it’s a historic moment, this is already Nobody is going to stop it and we are also lucky to be able to experience it alongside a great champion who transmits good values ​​like Ilia Topuria,” says Rubén.