“It’s time to take the UFC to Spain. Conor McGregor, I’m waiting for you”
MADRID, 18 Feb. (EUROPA PRESS) –
The Spanish-Georgian fighter Ilia Topuria made history this morning by becoming the first Spanish champion of the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC), the most famous mixed martial arts championship in the world, after knocking out the Australian Alexander Volkanovski, heavyweight champion. pen, in the second round.
At the Honda Center in Anaheim (United States), where exceptional witnesses such as Mark Zuckerberg – a fan of Volkanovski – were watching, Topuria climbed into the octagon to the rhythm of the song performed by Antonio Banderas in the movie ‘Desperado’ and crossed himself before facing off. to the undefeated man in his category and champion since 2019. Ten minutes later, he was celebrating.
The man from Alicante dominated the first round and stood in the center of the ring, blocking his opponent’s kicks and receiving a single left blow from Volkanovski. The same tone characterized the beginning of the second round, but with one minute remaining Topuria cornered the oceanic and sent him to the canvas with a right hand straight to the face, a ‘KO’ that made him go down in history.
With this, ‘El Matador’, who only ended up with a scratch on his nose, puts on the featherweight champion’s belt, the first Spanish representative to achieve this, and places Spain at the top of the MMA panorama.
“I feel very happy. They will tell you that you can’t do it, they will doubt you, but the only person you have to prove everything to is yourself. Trust yourself, work every day, and then everything is possible,” He pointed out as soon as he got off the octagon. “I know my abilities and I work hard. I knew that at some point I was going to be world champion. It doesn’t matter where you come from, but where you go,” he added.
In addition, he sent a message to a sports legend, the Irishman Conor McGregor. “It’s time to take the UFC to Spain. Conor McGregor, if you still have the balls, I’m waiting for you in Spain,” he challenged him. “Conor represents the last chapter of MMA. I want to fight him to close it and leave it forgotten. That’s why it’s the fight I have in my mind,” he said.
On the other hand, he did not hide where he would like to fight if the UFC finally arrived in Spain. “Being able to fight at the Bernabéu… Always at the Bernabéu. After that, there is nothing else,” Topuria concluded.
