The Georgian Hispanic fighter will be the first Spaniard to fight for a UFC title
‘El Matador’ arrives undefeated in the fight for the featherweight title after 14 fights
The president of the UFC, Dana Whitemade official yesterday the expected fight between Ilia Topuria and Alexander Volkanovski. The Georgian Hispanic will measure his strength with the champion of the featherweight category on February 17, 2024starring in the main fight of UFC 298 celebrated on The Angels.
However, Ilia Topuria wanted to announce her long-awaited title fight in a more special way. Under the motto “The fiftheen rose” (referring to the fact that he arrives undefeated in his fifteenth fight), the Georgian Hispanic fighter published a video in which he cuts a rose and keeps it in his box with the number 15 while listening to Volkanovski talk about him.
Leaving the video aside, the icing on the cake of the announcement is its prediction, which it leaves written: “My prediction is to finish in the first round. What’s yours?”.
The fifteenth rose🌹
My prediction is a first round finish, what’s yours?#AndNew #IliaTopuria #The matador #UFC pic.twitter.com/9yveEXt7FM
— Ilia Topuria (@Topuriailia) November 6, 2023
As it could not be otherwise, Topuria had to announce the big fight, making his particular self-confidence evident. And it is no wonder, ‘El Matador’ will be the first Spanish fighter to fight for a UFC title.
“Defeat is not in my vocabulary. I am made for triumph and glory belongs to me. I just love myself very much,” Topuria said a few weeks ago.
Ilia Topuria and her undefeated path to glory
With 14 victories in 14 fights of which 6 have been in the UFC, ‘El Matador’ occupies fifth place in the ranking of the featherweight category, led by Max Holloway and Alexander Volkanovski. After defeating Josh EmettIlia Topuria will finally fulfill her great dream of fighting for the title, as she has repeated on different occasions in the past: “I would only take a fight with Max Holloway in Spain; if not, I will wait for the fight for the title.” “belt. There’s nothing else. I don’t know if he’s busy or not, but it’s the only thing that interests me. I can wait, one of my greatest qualities is patience and I’m the next challenger.”
The Georgian Hispanic fighter will enter the fight with enviable numbers. His unbeatability in the 14 matches he has played is broken down into 4 wins by knockout, 8 by submission and 9 finishes in the first roundIn addition, he defends a striking effectiveness of 46% and a knockdown effectiveness of 56%.
Topuria is just one fight away from realizing his dream and taking Spain to the top in yet another sport.
Volkanovski, the definitive rival
‘El Matador’ will have to perform a perfect fight to be able to overcome the holder of the belt. Following Volkanovski’s loss to Makhachev in the lightweight title fight, the fight with Topuria has had to be delayed until February. However, the Australian fighter defends a record of 26 wins and 3 lossesin addition to 57% striking effectiveness and 38% knockdown effectiveness.
At 35 years old, Volkanovski will have to show why he remains “The Greatest” in what will be, perhaps, his toughest defense of the featherweight category title.