Ilia Topuria etched his name in the UFC history books at UFC 298 by becoming the first Spanish champion in the promotion. ‘El Matador’ knocked out Alexander Volkanovski in the second round to claim UFC gold.
Since being crowned champion, Topuria has received a hero’s welcome in Spain. ‘El Matador’ was gifted citizenship and even felicitated at the Santiago Bernabeu. Moreover, his rising fame has allowed him to meet Lionel Messi, and Topuria confirmed he had invited the footballer for one of his fights.
Topuria was in attendance at UFC 300 ringside where he saw his next potential opponent, Max Holloway, put on a masterclass against Justin Gathje. Following the event, he joined ‘The MMA Hour’ to dissect the past weekend with Ariel Helwani.
During the conversation, Helwani brought up Topuria’s recent interaction with Lionel Messi. He asked ‘El Matador’ how he managed to meet the footballer and what he spoke to Messi about. Topuria replied saying,
“Yeah, that was the first time I meet Messi. He was like one of the persons I always had in my mind that if I see him, I am going to ask him for a picture. Him and Michael Jordan, I would ask them for a picture. So first of all he told me congratulations on your fight, when is your next fight? I invite him for my next fight. He told me like I have to check my schedule I would love to come.”
Topuria went on to add that it has been weird for him to get used to the fame that comes with being a champion. In fact, he never imagined he would be able to meet the likes of Messi and Luis Suarez amongst others.
Ilia Topuria crosses paths with Lionel Messi
Topuria recently made waves on social media after posting some pictures with Lionel Messi. In the pictures, Topuria was seen interacting with the footballer prior to one of his games.
For the uninitiated, Lionel Messi is arguably the biggest footballing celebrity in the world alongside Cristiano Ronaldo. The 36-year-old is currently playing for Inter Miami in the MLS which is why he resides in the United States.
What is interesting to note is that Topuria is a lifelong Real Madrid fan, while Messi spent the majority of his career with their arch-rivals FC Barcelona. Despite that, Topuria’s admiration for Messi remains steadfast.
