Since winning the UFC featherweight title at UFC 298, Ilia Topuria has continuously expressed his desire to headline a stadium show in Spain.
The Spanish-Georgian has quickly become one of the biggest stars in the sport after knocking out two of the greatest featherweight fighters of all time, Alexander Volkanovski and Max Holloway.
And with that, Ilia Topuria believes he could sell out a stadium in Spain, in what would be the very first time the promotion has touched down in the Mediterranean.
Photo by David Benito/WireImage
Conor McGregor doubts Topuria's ability to sell out a stadium show
UFC CEO, Dana White, has continuously stated that he plans to host an event in Spain for the promotion, but they have continually encountered issues with booking arenas.
'El Matador' offered the solution by stating that his dream is to fight at the Santiago Bernabeu, the home stadium of one of the biggest football teams in the world, Real Madrid, the team that Topuria supports.
The stadium has recently undergone a renovation and can seat over 78,000 people, making it one of the largest stadiums in Europe.
White has always had reservations when it comes to hosting stadium shows because there are many variables to consider, such as the weather. Despite this, the promotion has hosted stadium shows before, with UFC 243 being the last, when Israel Adesanya knocked out Robert Whittaker at Marvel Stadium.
While the 27-year-old champion is adamant he can sell out the Bernabeu, the promotion's biggest star, Conor McGregor has his doubts.
Topuria's manager recently revealed that UFC Spain is looking increasingly unlikely as the UFC does not want to host a stadium show and the arenas in Madrid are both fully booked.
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'He didn't want to sell it either. No chance,” McGregor responded in a now-deleted tweet to X.
Topuria and McGregor have an ongoing feud online, with 'The Notorious' claiming last year that he would 'punch' the Spaniard. Topuria has since said that when he first met McGregor, he felt like his “aura came from hell.”
Ilia Topuria's planned return date is revealed by the head coach
Following his emphatic victory over 'Blessed' Holloway last October, the 27-year-old faced former foe Volkanovski, hinting at a rematch between the two.
Despite this, Topuria later claimed that he will move up to lightweight for his next fight as he targets a superfight against Islam Makhachev. 'El Matador' even teased a possible fight against former champion Charles Oliveira.
The Spaniard then seemingly changed his mind, vowing that he would not give up his 145-pound title and would defend it again before considering another move to lightweight.
And with that, his head coach Jorge Climent has claimed that Topuria will return to the Octagon in May with the promotion focused on the rematch between him and Alexander 'The Great'.
Volkanovski has not fought since being knocked out by Topuria last February, despite being called up by the rising Diego Lopes.
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