For the Spanish fan of mixed martial arts, the landing of the largest league in the world, the UFC, in our country was not a debate: it would take place in the Spanish capital. But everything changed when, during the week of Ilia Topuria’s fight against Max Holloway in Abu Dhabi, the company’s boss put a new name on the table: «We are working to go to Madrid or Barcelona in 2025». The alarms went off. The city of Barcelona was in the conversation, something that, a priori, seemed ruled out. And something, furthermore, that the Barcelona city council itself was responsible for quickly distancing itself from, by pointing out that they were closing the doors to the UFC holding an event in their city.
Shortly after knowing that last information, that of the slamming of the door on the UFC by Barcelona, the Born neighborhood, in the heart of the Catalan capital, woke up with a mural of Ilia Topuria, throwing a right blow. An iconic moment, as it marked the beginning of the end for Holloway in combat. And the snapshot went viral. ABC MMA has responded to the sceneto know first-hand the reason for the mural, which has a revolutionary background, against the socialist council.
«The job of artists is to tell the news, what is happening. News was leaked that the Barcelona City Council was ruling out a UFC event here and I wanted to put Ilia as a claim on a political level,” says the author of the mural, Alberto León, an urban artist who has been living in Barcelona for 13 years. «I am from Tenerife, but I live in Barcelona. The initial idea was to do it in Madrid, but I thought that in Barcelona it would have much more impact on the media level. I chose this corner because, after studying several in the area, this seemed the most appropriate, a lot of tourism passes through here and it seems to be working,” says the painter.
The truth is that, in the half hour that this newspaper was there, numerous curious people came to take photos with the mural and the artist. «What I wanted was to stir up society a little, the news has surely reached Barcelona City Council. I don’t know if with this mural I’m going to get them to rethink things but I did want to give them a little touch so that he can see that he also has his audience here, that there are many people who love Ilia Topuria and who want to see him fight in this city,” says León, who has already made several murals that seek to move citizen consciousness, and has shared them on your Instagram account.
An Asian tourist, next to the Topuria mural
«It is a revolution against Barcelona City Council, Barcelona has its audience, there are many people who feel represented by Ilia despite the fact that they are closing the doors to her. It is a blow to all those who criticize this sport and who are closing the doors to this athlete who is representing our country and taking the sport to another level,” explains León, who points out that “he would be delighted” for the UFC will arrive in Barcelona. «It seems to me to be a sport that gives off many values, that Ilia represents perfectly, respect, honesty, discipline, dedication, fight. It seems like a symbol to me and I consider myself a fan of Ilia Topuria,” he says.
An “ephemeral” and “illegal” art to raise awareness
This urban artist, a great fan of mixed martial arts, knew of Topuria’s potential to successfully defend his UFC title. But the development of the combat needed to be checked. Until he saw the shot that best suited him. «Aesthetically, the best thing was to choose the image of his forehand so that it squared with the wall. I also oriented the legs so that they were level with the ground and I had a completely profile position. In the end I studied the movement of the body and made it life-size so that people would have fun and be surprised at the same time,” he says.
«It was a matter of days. He knew that Ilia was going to win, he had already won before the fight started. I wanted to do something about him. After the news in which Dana White left the door open to Barcelona for the UFC to land in Spain and the city council rejected it, I thought something had to be done. I wanted to tell it like this: putting his figure in the center of Barcelona,” the urban artist continues, pointing out that the intervention seeks that the passer-by interact with the mural.
Regarding the great impact it has had, León acknowledges that he can never imagine the virality it will have, but the news “has spread very quickly.” «Above all I want to thank all the martial arts teachers who do a tremendous job and it is not at all a violent sport like what is being said here in Barcelona. Here what we all know is the order of the day: fights, thefts and this type of crime and martial arts is just the opposite of that,” says the artist.
The mural, next to a dog grooming salon
«Urban art is ephemeral, it can last a month, two months, a year… In the end it is the responsibility of the citizen, but the life of a work like this is usually short, I don’t give it more than two weeks. It is a work of illustration, graphic design and photography. I did the entire creative process at home to do the intervention as quickly as possible. Keep in mind that this urban art is illegal and we must act quickly. “We had to study the proportions well and do many hours of prior work,” explains the painter.
Of course, the acceptance of the place where the mural has been established has been maximum, becoming a tourist spot in the city. This is stated by Verónica, the owner of the attached premises, Spa Ponlo Xulo, a dog grooming salon. «I love it, it attracts a lot of people, it creates a lot of expectation and fills the street and the neighborhood with joy. We are inside the business and they ask us to take photos. “I didn’t know the UFC or Ilia Topuria until Alberto made the mural,” says the owner.
The people say ‘yes, I want’
On the other hand, the debate about the Barcelona City Council slamming the door on the UFC has reached the streets. Although the reality is that, of the people consulted by ABC MMA, not all have a formed opinion or know the company run by Dana White, many residents of Barcelona agree with its hypothetical landing. «That the Barcelona City Council rejects the UFC is a absolute shame and I say this as a martial arts practitioner, from Barcelona and Catalan. Of course I want the UFC in Barcelona and the philosophy of Ilia Topuria or Abner Lloveras here. “Martial arts are education,” says Eduardo, a thirty-something who practices these disciplines.
«The arrival of the UFC in Barcelona would only bring benefits, something we need. Now there is the ‘boom’ of martial arts and contact sports. We have champions like Sandor Martín in boxing that Barcelonans don’t even know about. And it would also leave economic benefits, surely much better than with the regattas…», he says regarding the organization of the America’s Cup of sailing, which was a fiasco for the council.
An idea shared by Ángel López, expert in coaching and personal development. «It seems to me to be a decision that has not been considered, rather reactive, because today not only has MMA become an emerging sport but it will probably become the second most popular sport in Spain. Financially in Barcelona one is usually intelligent but this time they are not doing it well,” says the businessman.
«In the stadium that holds the event, it will surely be full, there is a lot of desire, there is a wave, the Topuria effect is going to attract a lot of people from many places and that would mean income for the city of Barcelona that has not been taken into account. . The decision has been made from the ego and possibly hurt by the Real Madrid fandom that Topuria entails and very unintelligent on an economic level. I would like the UFC to come to Barcelona and I also think it is a very good destination, the Palau Sant Jordi would be a very good venue, there would be many of us who would go,” says López.
Which also provides a vision beyond hyperlocalism. «Bringing the UFC to Barcelona would create a precedent. The movement of its entire group and all the fans is to put Barcelona on the map as one of the biggest ‘rockstars’ in the world. They would be benefits at the authority level as a reference city in mixed martial arts in Spain and why not compete with English cities or Paris. “It is a long-term business,” says this Barcelonan.
A vision shared by Óliver, also involved in the development of the sector in Barcelona. «Bringing the UFC here would put Barcelona on the MMA map, which can give an important boost to the sport in the city. It would help remove prejudices and open the doors for more people to discover the richness of martial arts, which is not just fighting, but a way of life based on respect, self-discipline and control. In addition, we would attract sports tourism, which benefits the city’s economy,” he says.
Mario, another young man from Barcelona, believes that “as a model for sporting events”, the UFC has “great drawing power, and bringing it to Barcelona would surely generate massive interest.” «Personally, I think it could be exciting, especially for the community of combat sports fans in Spain, which is growing. In addition, Barcelona already hosts a wide variety of sporting events, and the UFC could add a new type of show,” he points out.
Although, yes, he is aware that “there are opposing opinions about the UFC.” «Some adore it for the skill and discipline it requires, they closely follow fighters like Ilia Topuria and would be excited if the UFC came to Barcelona. On the other hand, others see the UFC as too violent and believe that it would not fit with the image of the city, concerned about the culture it can promote,” concludes Mario.
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