Ilia Topuria has not forgotten about the promise made to him by UFC President Dana White a year ago. Recently, he reminded the leader of the promotion about it.
Since joining the UFC in 2020, Topuria has been unwavering in his determination to bring a UFC event to Spain, his home country, which has never hosted one before.
Just before his fight against Josh Emmett at UFC on ABC 5, Topuria recalled White’s commitment to him that if he managed to break into the top-five rankings of the featherweight division, Spain would be granted an event.
Ilia Topuria calls out Dana White for failing to deliver
During a recent interview with Mirror Fighting, Ilia discussed his dream of participating in a future UFC Spain card and revealed the promise that White made to him a year ago.
He stated: “Exactly one year ago I had a meeting in Las Vegas with Dana White and Hunter [Campbell]. Dana told me that once I put myself into the top five, I am going to take the UFC into Spain. So now I am going to do my work and put myself into the top five and let’s see if Dana is a man of his word.”
In a one-sided contest, the highly ranked UFC featherweight emerged victorious over Emmett, securing a unanimous decision. The fighter, hailing from Georgia and Spain, showcased a dominant performance against the former title contender.
As he is on the path to potentially entering the top five rankings of the featherweight division, it remains uncertain whether Dana will fulfill his promise.
How good is Ilia Topuria?
Ilia, the thrilling Georgian-Spanish featherweight, continues to captivate fans with his remarkable performances. Recently, he showcased his dominance against Josh at UFC on ABC 5. Securing a unanimous decision victory and extending his impressive undefeated streak to 14 fights.
While Topuria expressed his clear ambition to pursue featherweight gold, he also revealed his openness to a potential matchup against Max Holloway in Spain.
This scenario could arise if the current featherweight champion, Alexander Volkanovski, triumphs over Yair Rodriguez at UFC 290 and subsequently decides to pursue a rematch against Islam Makhachev.
During the post-fight press conference, Ilia shared insights into his future plans, stating:
“Busy, not busy, I don’t know if [Volkanovski is] busy. I’m the next guy in the line. I can wait. One of the best skills I have is patience. If they offer me to fight with Max Holloway in Spain. Let’s do it. If not, I’m going to wait for my title shot.”
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