Imago
Credits: IMAGO
Imago
Credits: IMAGO
From sharing a beef to a surprising business partnership, Ilia Topuria and Cristiano Ronaldo have massively transformed their relationship. The Spanish MMA promotion, WOW FC, became the unexpected bridge that united these two stars, turning them into stakeholders with a shared vision. While many were taken aback by this alliance, the growth potential was clear from the start. And as it seems, that potential has become a reality, as WOW FC celebrated a milestone by outshining UFC’s prominent competitor.
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“We’re facing a historic week for Spanish MMA in the country,” reported Spanish MMA news handle Pelunaton on X. “Next Saturday, the first MMA event takes place at the Roig Arena (Valencia), where more than 12,000 tickets have already been sold, smashing all previous records.”
Roig Arena, which is based in Valencia, will be the host of WOW 29 on April 11. A facility with a capacity of up to 20,000 has already sold around 12,000 tickets. While in comparison to UFC, the number is quite low, it has reportedly beaten the leading MMA promotion’s rival, PFL’s Madrid event attendance.
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“WOW, the Spanish MMA promotion owned by Topuria and Ronaldo, doing roughly 12K in Valencia this Saturday… about double the Madrid PFL card… super hot market,” wrote MMA journalist Robert Joyner on X.
WOW, the Spanish mma promotion owned by Topuria and Ronaldo, doing roughly 12K in Valencia this Saturday… about double the Madrid PFL card… super hot market… https://t.co/w4gevhj8bH
— Robert Joyner (@robnashville) April 6, 2026
For those unaware, PFL Madrid took place on March 20, 2026, at the Palacio Vistalegre in Madrid. Headlined by Costello van Steenis vs. Fabian Edwards 2, the venue had a total capacity of 15,000. While the exact ticket sales for the event aren’t available publicly, Joyner reported that it would have been around 6000-7000.
This is a shocking number, considering PFL is a standout rival of the UFC. After acquiring Bellator in 2023, PFL came up as one of the main rivals to the leading MMA promotion, UFC. But why PFL? Particularly when other promotions like ONE Championship and RIZIN FF have been established in the community for many years?
The answer lies in PFL’s focus as a direct competitor to the UFC in the U.S. market, while ONE Championship and RIZIN FF dominate the Asian market. Despite this positioning, PFL has struggled to provide a tough challenge to the UFC. For instance, UFC 243: Whittaker vs. Adesanya has the highest ever recorded attendance in UFC history, with 57,127 in October 2019 at Marvel Stadium in Melbourne, Australia.
In comparison, PFL Paris, which took place in March 2024, recorded over 16,000 attendees at the Accor Arena, significantly lower than the UFC’s figures. To make matters worse, a newer promotion like WOW FC has now surpassed PFL in ticket sales for their upcoming event.
The reason behind such rapid growth could be many things. However, one could surely attribute that to the joining of Ilia Topuria in 2024 and Cristiano Ronaldo in 2025 as part-owners of WOW FC. Now, this may lead one to wonder what their vision might have been behind making such a move.
Ilia Topuria and Cristiano Ronaldo share a similar vision behind the WOW FC move
To start off, Ilia Topuria is arguably one of the standout MMA fighters. Currently reigning as the UFC lightweight champion, but once had a shaky childhood. At just 15 years of age, Topuria relocated with his family to Spain in search of better opportunities. And that is when he came across the world of MMA to kick off his journey.
For someone like ‘El Matador’, his core values and vision towards becoming an MMA promoter lie primarily in his zeal to uplift young fighters.
“My team and I are immensely happy to join such a promising project like WOW, which, with everyone’s effort, will become the perfect platform to help all the Spanish fighters continue to grow in this sport,” said Topuria in a statement.
Meanwhile, for someone like Cristiano Ronaldo, the thought process remains quite similar. As one of the standout soccer stars, Ronaldo spent the majority of his prime years with Real Madrid, a club based in Spain. Hence, at this stage of his career, he seems quite motivated to elevate a sport like MMA in that region.
“WOW FC is building something unique and powerful, and I’m proud to join this project to help elevate the sport and inspire the next generation,” wrote Ronaldo on X.
Not just that, Ronaldo has also been an avid combat sports follower. He shares a great camaraderie with fighters like Conor McGregor, Francis Ngannou, and many more. But when it came to ‘El Matador’, the soccer star found him very arrogant. To that end, Ronaldo even backed Max Holloway to defeat Topuria at UFC 308.
Topuria, in return, appeared quite displeased as he felt Ronaldo couldn’t distinguish between confidence and arrogance. Eventually, ‘El Matador’ defeated Holloway and now he reigns as the UFC lightweight champion.
Additionally, regarding their beef, following Ronaldo’s joining as the part-owner of WOW FC, they have seemingly buried the hatchet. As such, Topuria even wrote a “welcome” post for the Portuguese soccer star.
That said, the record-breaking numbers at WOW 29: Valencia seem like only a start to their partnership. Do you think that in the coming years, the Topuria and Ronaldo-led MMA promotion could be one of the main competitors of the UFC? Let us know in the comments below!
Written by
Edited by
Aatreyi Sarkar