UFC 308 and the Real Madrid vs. Barcelona game are going down at the same time, and Topuria wants to fight the man responsible for making that happen.
Saturday is a busy day for Spanish sports fans. Not only is featherweight champion Ilia Topuria defending his title for the first time at UFC 308 against Max Holloway, but October 26th is also the day ‘El Clasico’ takes place.
‘El Clasico’ is ‘The Classic,’ the name given to any soccer game played between Spain’s two rival clubs Real Madrid and Barcelona. Barring Copa del Rey meetings, ‘El Clasico’ only happens twice a year and the important one is always in late October — something that may split Topuria’s audience.
Most UFC pay-per-views take place at 10PM E.T. or in the wee hours of the morning. The UFC 308 main card begins at 2PM E.T. or 7PM local time. ‘El Clasico’ starts an hour later, and Topuria was asked what he’d recommend fans of both sporting events do in this rare time conflict.
.@Topuriailia No sabía que me tenías en tus planes de knockouts! Te aviso que soy más difícil de tumbar que organizar ELCLÁSICO a la hora que todo el mundo quiere. Pero a Max Holloway dale con todo! pic.twitter.com/vh6oEQxLhH
— Javier Tebas Medrano (@Tebasjavier) October 23, 2024
“First, before saying what they have to do, what I have been saying is maybe I made a mistake,” Topuria said at UFC 308 media day. “Instead of having to fight Max Holloway, I have to fight the person responsible for putting that match on at the same time, the same day as my fight when that was known a couple of months ago.”
“That would be [LaLiga president] Javier Tebas,” a reporter replied helpfully.
“Well, let’s go for Javier Tebas next,” Topuria joked. “And to the Spanish fans, what I would say to them is thanks for the support. I’m not going to tell them not to watch the match and watch my fight, because it hurts me, you know? To the sports lovers who have not been given the opportunity to enjoy these two events, enjoy what you want and thanks for the support.”
??On October 26th, just before the #UFC308 main event, Barcelona will play Real Madrid in the Spanish El Clásico.
Real Madrid is Ilia Topuria’s favorite football team, while Barcelona, on the other hand, gifted Max Holloway a personalized t-shirt.
@espnmma ?? pic.twitter.com/I5qxnyvSZV
— Home of Fight (@Home_of_Fight) October 23, 2024
LaLiga president Tebas replied to the clip of Topuria suggesting they’d fight on X (formerly Twitter).
“I didn’t know you had me in your knockout plans!” he wrote. “I warn you that I’m harder to knock out than organizing El Clasico at a time that everyone wants. But give Max Holloway everything you want!”
While Topuria is bringing some serious MMA interest to Spain, he doesn’t touch the attention that soccer generates. If it comes down to Topuria vs. El Clasico, well, we don’t have to tell you who wins that contest. But Topuria will be an exciting side attraction to millions of fans already in a sporting mood.
If he beats Max Holloway in spectacular fashion and the highlights make their way to everyone watching El Clasico, it could be the bump the new champ needs to hit super stardom.