Having become one of the UFC’s biggest stars, Ilia Topuria has continuously called for the promotion to take an event to Spain.
When Ilia Topuria knocked out Alexander Volkanovski at UFC 298 last year, he instantly became one of the UFC‘s biggest stars ever to come out of Europe.
His starpower was then increased tenfold when he became the first fighter ever to knock out Max Holloway, defending his title against him at UFC 308.
After picking up to of the biggest scalps at the weight class, Topuria began to call for the promotion to take an event to his home country of Spain.
UFC Executive gives an update on the potential of UFC Spain
Ahead of his move up to the lightweight division, in which he continuously calls for a lightweight title fight against Islam Makhachev, the 28-year-old teased that he will go into the next stage of his career with ‘a new identity’.
Earlier this week, during an unveiling of a street named after him in Toledo, Spain, Topuria revealed the new nickname that will accompany him in his move to 155lbs.
Since Topuria’s rise to the top in the UFC, boss Dana White has continuously hinted at potentially holding an event in Spain.
The promotion returned to London for a sixth time since 2020 last weekend, and during the post-fight press conference, UFC Executive Dave Shaw provided an update on the potential of holding an event in Spain.
“Dana’s talked about (UFC Spain) quite a bit, here’s the situation with Spain, we’ve got to find the right destination, and we’ve talked about it a lot. We’re not going to venues that don’t have a roof, it doesn’t make sense for our athletes and for the product,” Shaw explained.
Ilia Topuria no longer interested in pursuing UFC Spain event
However, despite Shaw’s update on the potential of an event in Spain, Topuria is no longer interested in pursuing an event in his home country and has revealed exactly why.
“It’s because of the agreement the UFC has with ESPN, the scheduling issue, because if they bring a numbered event to Spain, it would have to be at 4AM or 5AM to be prime time on US television, so I don’t see it as very feasible to have everyone on their feet at 4AM or 5AM,” Topuria said during a press conference in Spain.
“Even as an athlete, I don’t see myself competing at that time. I already did it once in Abu Dhabi where we had to fight at such a crazy time, and I don’t want to do it again, to be honest,” he continued.
When the promotion returned to Manchester last year for UFC 304, one of the biggest controversies about the event was that the fights took place during the early morning local time.
Topuria is preparing for either Makahachev or Oliveira next
Despite Makhachev having all but ruled out a potential clash against Topuria, the Spaniard has admitted that he is preparing for a fight against either him or former champion Charles Oliveira.
The 28-year-old and Oliveira have been involved in a recent online feud, with ‘Do Bronx’ claiming that he won’t fight Topuria next as he continues to pursue a title shot himself.
“All my training is focused on Islam or Charles because I don’t see any other opponents… Neither of them seems to dare (to fight me)… These are the symptoms of fear; we all know that, but it’s normal. I’d be scared too,” he stated.