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Dana White Lured by 85,000 Fans as Ilia Topuria’s Dream Fight in Spanish Giant Real Madrid’s Santiago Bernabeu Given a Nod

Published 02/25/2024, 11:42 PM EST

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UFC events are celebrations not only for MMA fans but also for the fighting community in general. Who wouldn’t want to witness a star-studded UFC fight at least once in their lifetime? Despite its foot firmly set in the United States of America, CEO Dana White seems to have caught the hype train and is more actively venturing to other locations.

Recently, the UFC crowned new champions of non-American origin. It appears that the demand for a UFC event in those nations has prompted the CEO to take steps to address it. Dricus Du Plessis for South Africa and Ilia Topuria for Spain have made quite the noise and seems like the CEO has finally answered it.

Dana White confirms more international UFC events

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UFC 298 crowned a new champion in the featherweight division, Ilia Topuria knocked out the defending champ, Alexander Volkanovski to clinch the ‘145 lbs gold. Topuria promised a war and he delivered it. Ahead of his bout against ‘Volk’, Topuria in a conversation with Daniel Cormier asserted that he would sell out the entire Santiago Bernabéu stadium if the UFC ever planned to have an event there. Topuria’s words might have seemed a little far-fetched but his recent heroic reception at the same stadium must have put Dana White on alert.

The UFC CEO at the UFC 298 presser emphasized that they are planning to go to Spain as soon as possible and Real Madrid’s home ground, Santiago Bernabéu might be their go-to venue for the event. However, nothing was made certain. Nonetheless, in a recent conversation at a UFC Mexico presser, White hinted at a potential ruin in Spain when he was asked about further UFC Mexico events.

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“You know, if you asked me two months ago if I was going to Spain, I would say probably not. They say if I want to go to Africa, I say I probably want to, but I don’t know if it’s gonna be this year. So the beautiful thing about this sport is, anything can turn on a dime, and we are that type of company that we are not all tied up in bureaucratic stuff.” said Dana White at the UFC Mexico presser.

The hype for more international UFC fights is much more than ever now considering the fact that a majority of the UFC champions are of non-American origin. Nonetheless, Topuria is planning to fight several opponents at the UFC Spain but he is looking at Conor McGregor as the biggest prospect.

Ilia Topuria wants to face Conor McGregor at UFC Spain

One of Ilia Topuria’s prime dreams is to decimate Conor McGregor to put an end to his legacy. Ahead of his bout against Volkanovski, Topuria in an interview with Ariel Helwani asserted that he wants to fight McGregor in Spain.

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“Conor McGregor, that’s the fight I’m looking for. He has a great fight, his upcoming fight with Michael Chandler. If he doesn’t get his a** whooped, he will be pleasured to share the octagon with me and maybe in UFC Spain. We’re both from Europe and he will be able to [go] back home and tell his wife, ‘baby, take out the red panties, Topuria kept us rich’,” said Topuria.

After winning the belt, Topuria at the UFC 298 presser stated that McGregor is one of the last chapters of the UFC and he would like to destroy him. “Because Conor represents the last chapter in MMA, I will actually go through the last chapter and leave him behind, forgotten,” ‘El Matador’ stated. He added that whether McGregor could decide the weight class or not, the venue will be of his choice.

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There’s a speck of doubt on the part of Dana White as the UFC CEO, who is not keen on making this fight happen but anything can change in this unexpected sport. Do you believe a matchup between Topuria and McGregor would ever happen? Tell us about it in the comments below.

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Written by:

Suryakant Das

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Suryakant Das is a UFC writer at EssentiallySports. His fascination with combat sports was sparked by gleeful moments he shared with his father watching wrestling. An ardent fan of UFC star Charles Oliveira, Surya closely follows the sport and keeps tabs on behind-the-scenes action.
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Edited by:

Joyita Das