Ilia Topuria realized a lifelong dream at UFC 298 after an impressive knockout win over Alexander Volkanovski. Going into the fight, Topuria was extremely confident in his abilities to get the job done. On multiple occasions, Topuria predicted a knockout win. This is something that not a lot of fans believed in. Since becoming the UFC champion, Topuria has been on a victory tour which has seen him lay out his plans for his coming fights. While most of his plans involve active fighters, Topuria recently shared his desire to fight a former champion, as can be seen on X.
Topuria recently sat down for an interview following his triumph at UFC 298. During the interview, Topuria was asked about his dream fight. ‘El Matador’ replied, saying,
“I would be happy to enter the octagon with Khabib Nurmagomedov. He had an undefeated record at 29-0 and he had an attractive record for me, then also history. He is a worthy and honourable champion for me. [I would 100% defeat him].
Since becoming the champion, Topuria has called out a host of names for a fight. The likes of Conor McGregor, Canelo Alvarez and now Khabib Nurmagomedov. While on paper all these fights look interesting, it is highly unlikely that Topuria will face either of these names. The UFC will not allow Topuria to chase these big fights before he has defended his featherweight title a few times.
Alexander Volkanovski has stated that he wants an immediate rematch and given what he has achieved at featherweight in the UFC, there is a very strong chance he gets it. Even if Volkanovski does not, there are numerous contenders waiting at featherweight to take on Topuria. Meanwhile, Topuria fulfilled yet another dream of his when he visited the home of Real Madrid recently.
Ilia Topuria gets felicitated at the Santiago Bernabeu
Topuria hails from Alicante in Spain. For a long time now, Topuria has been a die-hard fan of Real Madrid CF. For the uninitiated, Real Madrid is the most decorated and prestigious club in European Football. The club has an unprecedented 35 league titles and 14 champions league titles to its name.
Many big names such as Cristiano Ronaldo, Zinedine Zidane, and David Beckham, among others, have played for the club. Earlier today, the club felicitated Topuria for his achievements in the sport. Prior to the kick off against Sevilla, Topuria was invited on the field where he was met with 85,000 fans cheering him on.
