It appears like reigning UFC featherweight world champion Ilia Topuria will defend his title for the primary time in his residence nation.
In February, ‘El Matador’ scored a second-round knockout of Alexander Volkanovski to say the 145-pound crown. Instantly following the victory, Topuria expressed his need to defend the title in Spain — ideally contained in the Santiago Bernabeu, the house stadium of Actual Madrid.
Taking to social media, Topuria revealed that there’s a date set for the UFC’s debut in Reino de España.
“I have already got a date for UFC Spain,” Topuria wrote in a translated submit on X.
Topuria dropped the information mere hours after the promotion introduced its return to Paris, France for the third consecutive yr. The UFC will head again to The Metropolis of Mild on September 28 for a Struggle Evening occasion contained in the Accor Area. No bouts have been introduced, however in all probability, the cardboard will function the return of former interim heavyweight champion Ciryl Gane who hails from the Western European nation.
The occasion will come six weeks after the conclusion of the 2024 Summer time Olympic Video games in Paris.
The occasion might additionally see the return of Manon Fiorot and Benoit Saint-Denis who competed on final yr’s Paris card.
Who Will Ilia Topuria defend his title in opposition to?
As for who we might see Ilia Topuria defend his title in opposition to, there are a couple of potential choices — chief amongst them being Max Holloway. Following his buzzer-beating KO of Justin Gaethje at UFC 300, ‘Blessed’ is primed for one more crack at 145-pound gold.
Different choices may very well be a rematch with Alexander Volkanovski, although latest experiences have prompt that Topuria declined to run it again with ‘The Nice’ when offered with the chance.
‘El Matador’ has additionally prompt Brian Ortega as his first title challenger. Bouncing again from a devastating shoulder surgical procedure, ‘T-Metropolis’ scored a slick arm-triangle choke in his rematch with Yair Rodriguez every week after Topuria claimed the featherweight strap.
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