Real Madrid continues to support their fellow countryman Ilia Topuria, pushing the new featherweight champion to super stardom in Spain.
New UFC featherweight champion Ilia Topuria was honored in his home country today as he got to take part in the ceremonial kickoff to start Real Madrid’s soccer game against Sevilla.
The game took place at the Santiago Bernabeu stadium, the 85,000 seat home of Real Madrid. Topuria has aspired to fight there one day, and given his rising popularity in Spain, it just may come together later this year.
Topuria made his appearance in a suit carrying his new title over his shoulder. After shaking hands with members of both Real Madrid and Sevilla, he gave a nice accurate kick of the ball — no off kilter business like Conor McGregor.
Ilia Topuria walks out with his UFC belt and does the honorary kick-off for the Real Madrid vs. Sevilla game at the Santiago Bernabeu.
Real Madrid is the biggest soccer team in Spain and the most iconic in the world. Their stadium sits 85,000. Massive.
pic.twitter.com/vGrYemr4Mr— Danny Segura (@dannyseguratv) February 25, 2024
During his rise as a 145 pound contender, several stars for Real Madrid came out in support of Topuria. That in turn led to more Spanish fans for the UFC fighter. By the time he earned his spot as No. 1 contender he seemed to have the entire country behind him. It will be interesting to see how mobilized Spain becomes now that “El Matador” has defeated Alexander Volkanovski and claimed UFC gold.
¡@Topuriailia hizo el saque de honor antes del #RealMadridSevillaFC!
@UFCEspanol pic.twitter.com/ggEQKYSKJL— Real Madrid C.F. (@realmadrid) February 25, 2024
The UFC has said they plan on traveling to Spain to take advantage of the groundswell of popularity that Topuria has, but nothing specific is confirmed yet. No opponent has been settled on, either. Will it be Alexander Volkanovski, who certainly deserves a rematch after years holding the title? Or will he take time off to recover from his second KO loss in less than six months, opening the door for Brian Ortega or perhaps Max Holloway?
There’s plenty of exciting options for Ilia Topuria, and hopefully a stadium show at Santiago Bernabeu. The UFC is notoriously iffy on stadium shows, but maybe Santiago Bernabeu’s retractable roof could ease some of UFC CEO Dana White’s reluctance.