For years, Ilia Topuria served as the face of the UFC’s much-anticipated expansion into Spain. Topuria’s Spanish tale felt like it was building to a famous homecoming, with murals praising his rise in Barcelona and fantasies of stepping out at the Santiago Bernabéu with a championship belt on the line. However, the dream may now stay a dream, as the champion no longer seems sold on the idea that Dana White had earlier shut down.
While the UFC CEO makes his stadium debut with Canelo Álvarez vs. Terence Crawford at Allegiant Stadium, ‘El Matador’ is quietly backing away from pushing for his own Spanish stadium spectacle. Rather than doubling down, Ilia Topuria took back his demand during a recent press conference.
When asked if Dana White’s change of heart on stadiums may lead to a return to the Spain plan, ‘El Matador’ said no—unless the UFC drastically changes the schedule. “I don’t know if I want to do it in Spain in the stadium, because if they make that happen, I have to fight at 4 in the morning local time,” said ‘El Matador.’
The Spanish-Georgian further added, “I’m a professional athlete. I want to fight in good conditions.” It wasn’t about the size of the arena or its status; it was about preserving performance. The stadium dream, once filled with images of Real Madrid’s home transformed into an octagonal battleground, no longer seems worth the time zone annoyance.
“If something changed and they’re going to do it in prime time in the local time, of course yes, it will be huge,” Topuria added. “If not, I prefer to fight always in the United States.” This is not merely a preference that he stated in the presser; it is a reversal. The same fighter who wanted to headline in Spain has decided to stay in Vegas if it means optimal performance. After all, the octagon feels different at 4 a.m.
MMA: UFC 298-Volkanovski vs Topuria Feb 17, 2024 Anaheim, California, USA Ilia Topuria celebrates his championship victory against Alexander Volkanovski during UFC 298 at Honda Center. Anaheim Honda Center California USA, EDITORIAL USE ONLY PUBLICATIONxINxGERxSUIxAUTxONLY Copyright: xGaryxA.xVasquezx 20240217_gav_sv5_163
Meanwhile, Dana White’s fascination with stadium shows has not resulted in a transformation for the UFC, at least not yet. Despite the fact that he is promoting Canelo vs. Crawford under the TKO Boxing banner with full stadium hype, he is still hesitant to host UFC events in similar venues.
“Nothing will change my mind about a stadium show,” White stated recently. The Canelo-Crawford fight is massive—streamed globally on Netflix with a knockout bonus twist—but it isn’t enough to change the head honcho’s attitude about MMA. He is doing it for boxing, not the UFC. But does that mean he is more interested in the new realm now? Well, not exactly.
Dana White misses Canelo vs. Crawford presser
And just as fans began to wonder if Dana White was warming up to stadium events through boxing, he wasn’t even present to promote them. Despite the magnitude of the Canelo vs. Crawford bout, which he personally dubbed a “once-in-a-lifetime” event, the UFC CEO did not attend the official press conference in Saudi Arabia.
Turki Alalshikh, who is collaborating with White to establish a new boxing league, stood between the stars this time, rather than Dana White. That absence did not go unnoticed. After all, the head honcho of the UFC had been front and center for the first fight in May, physically standing between the two pound-for-pound greats.
But this time, he was missing in action, raising questions about whether his heart is truly in the boxing profession. The UFC nevertheless streamed the press conference live, and White relived the occasion on social media, but his actual absence felt like a quiet signal.
The whispers grew louder as he also skipped the UFC 316 press conference in Newark earlier this month. Fans online have begun to speculate whether Dana is merely taking a step back—or gradually stepping away—after decades of nonstop promotion. If he’s not present for his own super-fight rollout, some wonder how long he’ll keep playing promoter in either ring.
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