Javier Sanchez

Updated Saturday, February 17, 2024-00:18

  • How Topuria - Volkanovski: when is the fight, time and where to watch on television and online in Spain

  • Interview Ilia Topuria, the Spanish phenomenon in the UFC: "My life is an eternal training"

“I am going to change the rules of mixed martial arts,”

Ilia Topuria

proclaimed and, after that announcement, she faced her rival, the Australian champion

Alexander Volkanovski

, momentarily stole his belt and, ultimately, offered the spectacle required before of a great fight. What was changed? A few boos. This Friday, at the previous press conference at the Honda Center in Anaheim, where on Sunday (06:00, Eurosport) he will seek the UFC featherweight title before almost 20,000 spectators, the Spaniard confirmed what he already knew: he has a way to go .

In Spain he is already famous, he appears on television, he has thousands of fans, he accumulates millions of followers on social networks, but in the United States, the mecca of mixed martial arts, he is an aspirant who has yet to prove his worth. Topuria is risking changing that status this coming morning: crossing the border between being a promise and being a star.

«At the moment he is considered a good fighter, but he must beat Volkanovski to be a champion. He has charisma, he sells very well and that is important to rise to fame in the United States, but he needs victory no matter what," explains

Emilio Marquiegui

, narrator of the UFC in Spain, on Eurosport, and one of the experts in the country.

Armando ArorizoEFE

Along the same lines, in fact, they spoke this week on The Ringer's MMA Show, the most listened to specialized podcast in the United States. "It is Ilia Topuria's opportunity to jump to stardom," concluded its presenters,

Ariel Helwani

,

Chuck Mindenhall

and

Petesy Carroll

, and highlighted the convenience for the sport itself of once again having a European champion, the first since the very famous

Conor McGregor

. after the Brazilian

José Aldo

, the American

Max Holloway

and Volkanovski.

"Achieving the absolute fame of McGregor or Jabib Nurmagomedov is complicated, it depends on many things, but Ilia's path involves defeating Volkanovski and then, with the championship belt, defeating everyone of his weight," he also comments. Marquiegui, who highlights that "he is already in the main fight of a numbered UFC event, that is very important."

Tickets at $6,500

And he is right. Since his debut in 2020, Topuria had already participated in six UFC events, but none with the relevance of the one he will star in tonight. Four were of a lower category, the so-called UFC Fight Night or UFC on ESPN / Fox, and in the two numbered events that he already experienced -UFC 264 and UFC 282- he was not in the fight that closed the evening. This time he will be, with all that that entails. In the United States, the fight between the Spaniard and Volkanovski can be followed on ESPN+, ESPN's payment platform that has 25.1 million subscribers and has gained 300,000 in recent weeks thanks to the evening.

At the Honda Center in Anaheim, next to Los Angeles, a stone's throw from Disneyland, the presence of Hollywood stars and NBA players is expected and a full house has been guaranteed for months. Despite the prohibitive price of tickets. The cheapest ones, far from the cage, cost $355 and the bill increased with proximity -405, 675, 725, 1,750 and 2,084- until reaching $3,305 for the basic VIP package and $6,500 for the complete VIP package.

«I represent the evolution of this sport. "I represent the new generation of mixed martial arts," Topuria claimed at the press conference before the fight of his life - for now - and of exhaustive preparation. Since December he has been preparing exclusively for this fight, first at the Climent Club in Alicante, his gym since he arrived in Spain from Georgia at the age of 15, and then at the facilities that the UFC has in Las Vegas.

Always friends and eight kilos less

There he took the owners of the aforementioned Alicante gym,

Jorge

and

Agustín Climent

, at the end of January ; to his coach,

Javi Climent

; to his physical trainer,

Aldo Martínez

; and his brother

Alexsandre

, also a UFC fighter, the most trusted person for him. Among the many efforts made, one in the final moments: to reach his weight of less than 65 kilos, Topuria had to lose eight kilos before the weigh-in, an outrage. He is now ready.

John Locher AP

It is his claim to fame, which will begin with a purse of $500,000 plus incentives, according to Sports Daily, and will continue with the launch of several businesses. Before traveling to the United States, in fact, Topuria already presented Keio Mobile, a telecommunications company that offers services related to playing sports - gyms, personal trainers... - and has more projects, such as a documentary called Matador that will be released this year. Saturday. He is currently the image of brands such as Venum (sportswear), Oblack Caps (caps), Prozis (nutrition) or Black Hat (energy drinks). And if he wins, the world will open to him.

«Until now we have done most of the projects in Spain, victory would give us more weight internationally. “This 2024 is a key year for Ilia,” admits

Pedro Dols

, his representative, who does not deny the fighter's ambition. For months Topuria has recognized that his goal is to organize the first UFC event in Spain and do it in a big way: in 2025, at the Santiago Bernabéu, against the best possible rival. There has been speculation about a possible Spanish-speaking duel with the Mexican

Yair Rodríguez

, second in the ranking, but the sky is higher.

"We have conversations with Real Madrid and the UFC and Ilia wants that event to be against McGregor," concludes Dols before the fight against Volkanovski, which will determine if the future will be as bright. It's Topuria's time.