The second pay-per-view of the year for the UFC is just a few weeks away. UFC 298 will be headlined by the likes of Alexander Volkanovski and Ilia Topuria. The featherweight belt will be on the line in what will potentially be Volkanovski’s sixth title defense. However, Topuria has other plans in mind. Not only is ‘El Matador’ extremely confident of beating the champion. But also has the venue for his first title defense figured out.
Topuria recently sat down with Ariel Helwani for an MMA fighting interview, where he was asked about potentially fighting McGregor. The Spanish star claimed that if McGregor did not lose against Chandler, he would love to fight him. The title challenger also stated that he would love to keep Conor McGregor rich by fighting him in Spain. When asked if UFC Spain was a possibility, Topuria was not only confident but also had a venue in mind for the UFC’s first trip to the European country. He said,
“Of course, it’s going to happen in 2024… When? I don’t know, at the end of the year, maybe. And where? I hope it’s going to happen in Madrid, the Santiago Bernabeu Stadium… The stadium is ready to make events. You can close the roof. You can [cover the grass]. They made it especially for events, so it would be one of the biggest ticket sales in UFC history.”
For the uninitiated, the Santiago Bernabeu is a stadium located in Madrid, Spain. It is home to one of the most prestigious and successful European football clubs in history, Real Madrid. The stadium was recently renovated and features state-of-the-art features. However, to fight there, Topuria will have to overcome his biggest test to date.
Ilia Topuria to hand Alexander Volkanovski his first loss at featherweight?
Despite losing twice in his last three fights, Alexander Volkanovski is undefeated as a featherweight. Topuria has the confidence and momentum of an undefeated fighter behind him. However, he will need a lot more than that to beat an extremely well-rounded fighter such as Alexander Volkanovski.
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Volkanovski has recently admitted to struggling with mental health. Mental strength has always been one of Volkanovski’s greatest strengths. However, if he is not fully over his troubles, it could deter his ability to train at the highest level for Topuria. Fans will be hoping that we get a fully healthy version of Volkanovski at UFC 298, both mentally and physically.
