The mixed martial arts (MMA) They have come to stay. The first necessary step for a sport to establish itself in a country is, without a doubt, the emergence of an athlete who bears the responsibility of being the spearhead. Although others arrived before Ilia Topuria, the Spanish UFC champion has put a discipline once maligned on the map for being an extreme combat sport. The birth of El Matador as a star has pushed numerous fans to approach this sport, but a second key is missing for him to fully establish himself: the arrival of the largest MMA league in Spain.
Well, during the last exclusive interview that the UFC featherweight champion has given on Spanish soil, Topuria has tried to specify the horizon arrival of the fastest growing sports organization in the world to our country. Following the investigations carried out by ABC, we asked El Matador: do you think April could be the month of the UFC’s arrival in Spain? «Well, yes, something was being said about Aprilbut you never know, not with much certainty. It is the first event they are considering doing in Spain, so we will see how all the circumstances develop… One thing that is clear is that in 2025 this event will end up happening in Spain», the Spanish-Georgian monarch told ABC, confirming that the UFC has considered April as a possible landing month. Specifically, according to the investigations of this newspaper, a very feasible date would be Saturday, April 12, 2025.
One of Topuria’s goals, even before winning the UFC featherweight title, was to face Conor McGregor at the Santiago Bernabéu. That is to say, the landing of the company run by Dana White occurred in the Madrid temple. But the truth is that in recent times everything has become more complicated. «My goal remains that, but there are many things that have to align for that to happen. Because the numbers have to add up, the stadium has to be free for that moment. The UFC does not like to hold events in football stadiums because of experiences they have had in the past. I may want many things but if the business is not good, that is no longer my decision,” El Matador acknowledges.
Topuria, involved in MMA in Spain through WOW
In addition to the dream of being the national banner that brings the UFC to Spain, Topuria has taken another step, recently becoming a shareholder in WOW, the largest national mixed martial arts league. ABC MMA has asked him about this decision. «The UFC had opted for WOW. I’m the UFC champion, which has its responsibilities. You didn’t have many options, if they had bet on WOW I had to be there. Apart from all the business structure it has. It was much easier for me to actually Contribute positively to the company and the growth of the sport for which I have been working so hard during all these years. It took us a while to reach an agreement, but finally we have polished all the details that needed to be polished,” said the Spanish champion.
The Matador assures that “A super interesting 2025 is coming and things that no one expects”managing to reach the maximum peak of popularity of this discipline in our country. «Sport will really just explode and it will be another dream that will come true for me, because the dream was that the athletes who dedicate themselves to mixed martial arts They felt that they really have recognition in the country where they practice the sport, that they are recognized as athletes, that they have help, that they only have to dedicate themselves to the sport because I know how difficult it is when you dedicate yourself to a sport and at the same time. time you have to think about doing another job to cover expenses, to go to championships, to simply buy clothes or supplements, everything an athlete needs. Well, all that is what I want to change. My team and everyone is super involved and working very constantly so that next year those things change,” Topuria detailed.
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