UFC’s newly crowned champion Ilia Topuria has set his sights on a historic title defense in Spain, with UFC President Dana White expressing interest in a potential showdown at Santiago Bernabeu stadium. This would be a significant moment for Spanish MMA.
Dana White is looking to bring the UFC to Spain, with Ilia Topuria headlining a pay-per-view event. Topuria, who represents both Georgia and Spain, has a deep connection to the country. Born to Georgian parents in Germany, he has been living in Spain since the age of 15. His desire to defend his title in Spain was evident after his victory at UFC 298, and Dana White showed interest in the idea during the post-fight press conference.
During the press conference, a Spanish reporter asked if the UFC had any plans to hold Topuria’s first title defense at Santiago Bernabeu stadium, the home of Real Madrid Football Club. The reporter also inquired if it would be a pay-per-view event. Dana White responded positively to the suggestion.
Dana White also asked the reporter about the stadium’s capacity, to which the reporter replied that it could hold 81,000 people for a soccer game. Additionally, he mentioned that the stadium could accommodate over 30,000 people if converted into an indoor venue.
Following his victory over Volkanovski, Topuria expressed his interest in a fight with McGregor. However, Dana White doubted McGregor’s ability to make the weight limit of 145lbs again and hinted that McGregor may never fight in the octagon again.
The UFC initially announced a fight between two other fighters for the main event of UFC 300, but fans were not pleased with the choice and voiced their opinions on social media. Despite the backlash, Dana White praised the fight as being highly entertaining.
White also mentioned that there is another significant fight to be made for UFC 300, in addition to the main event. This fight will serve as the co-main event. Prior to the main event announcement, fans believed that the BMF title fight between two other fighters would be the co-main event. However, White has thrown a curveball into the mix.
Dana White also revealed that the UFC had originally planned for a fight involving another fighter to be the main event of UFC 300, but it did not come to fruition. However, he commended British champion Edwards for accepting three different opponents offered by the UFC. While White had previously hinted at announcing a fight between Edwards and another fighter, he was non-committal about it during the UFC 298 press conference.
According to the Source firstsportz.com