This Tuesday Ilia Topuria was received by the mayor of Toledo and a street was named after him in the city.
Since the elimination of Alexander Volkanovski on UFC 298 to become the featherweight champion, Ilia Topuria has been converted into one of the greatest stars that the promotion has ever seen.
Not long after his title profit, 'El Matador' received his Spanish citizenship by the Prime Minister of Spain, moving to Alicante in 2012.
Since the featherweight became king and his title explicitly defended against Max Holloway at UFC 308, the 28-year-old has continued to bring eyes to the sport in the region.
Photo by Juanma Jimenez/Europe Press via Getty Images
Ilia Topuria reveals new fighting name during the press conference
This Tuesday, Topuria met the mayor of Toledo as part of the Toledo program to become the European City of Sport in 2025.
During the meeting it was announced that the 28-year-old will now have a street to him in the city, “Paseo Ilia Topuria.”
“I am very happy that I received this privilege in a city like Toledo, which has embraced three cultures,” said Topuria during a press conference.
Topuria starts a hugely important part of his career after he has officially left his featherweight title to permanently go to the lightweight division.
In anticipation of a new phase in his career, Topuria revealed that he will go on with 'a new identity', which states that he will no longer have the nickname 'El Matador' that has served him extremely favorably.
Although he claimed that he would wait until his next fight to reveal his new nickname, he did this during the press conference this Tuesday.
“El Matador is something that has accompanied me during my entire sports career, during my entire process, and it is something that led me to the new nickname.
“It's what I always say. You have to believe me. You have to see to believe. I believe it first, and then I see it. So the nickname that will accompany me in my next fight will be 'La Leyenda',” he revealed.
'La Leyenda' translates to 'The Legend', where the 28-year-old constantly leaves his mark on the sport.
Ilia Topuria burned a liar for a lightweight movement
After continuously having chased a fight against the current lightweight champion, Islam Makhachev, Topuria's move to 155 pounds, is criticized by various legends of the sport.
For a long time, lightweight competition Michael Chandler has also branded Topuria as a liar, which suggests that he is lying over his Walk-Around weight.
Although fans continue to drool over the potential fight between Topuria and Makhachev, it is unclear whether the promotion will follow that route immediately.
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