Ilia Topuria says that a UFC Spain event is ‘going to happen’ in 2024 and hopes to headline in front of an 83,000-capacity stadium.
Topuria still must face and defeat Alexander Volkanovski this weekend at UFC 298, but the confident contender is already certain that he can headline a record-breaking event in Spain later this year.
The 14-0 Topuria, who’s already 15-0 according to his Instagram bio, claims that he could take the promotion to the Santiago Bernabeu stadium, the home of Real Madrid CF, which has a capacity of 83,196.
The current record for the highest-attended UFC event is just over 57,000 – courtesy of the Marvel Stadium in Australia hosting Whittaker vs Adesanya in 2019.
Ilia Topuria talks UFC Spain and potential record-breaking crowd
Speaking to Jon Anik via ESPN MMA, featherweight contender Ilia Topuria teased that a UFC Spain event is “going to happen, that’s going to happen for sure in 2024.”
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Topuria explained that the Spanish fanbase is primed and ready for a live event and that the UFC should take advantage of the opportunity to grow a new market in Europe – before reaffirming that UFC Spain will happen “for sure” this calendar year if he can defeat Volkanovski at UFC 298.
The Santiago Bernabeu stadium might be the perfect choice for such an Iberian MMA showcase since it regularly hosts other non-sporting events like concerts under its retractable roof.
The undefeated Georgian-Spanish prospect calls headlining a UFC Spain event a “dream come true” for not only his family and team but for a whole generation of athletes who could populate the card beneath him.
“When you’re a kid you set goals and dreams for yourself. Once you start working hard, they become reality and it’s just amazing seeing everything come true.”
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The Top 5 highest-attended UFC events in history
Whilst sections of such an enormous stadium like the Santiago Bernabeu would be left open if the UFC came to town, an event under the retractable roof would likely be the record for the highest-attended event in the promotion’s history.
Currently, the five highest-attended UFC events are:
- UFC 243: Whittaker vs Adesanya – 57,127 at Marvel Stadium, Australia
- UFC 193: Rousey vs Holm – 56,214 at Docklands Stadium, Australia
- UFC 129: St-Pierre vs Shields – 55,724 at Rogers Centre, Canada
- UFC 198: Werdum vs Miocic – 45,207 at Arena da Baixada Curitiba, Brazil
- UFC on Fox 14: Gustafsson vs Johnson – 30,000 at Tele2 Arena, Sweden
Interestingly, even with a capacity crowd, the Santiago Bernabeu stadium wouldn’t earn the record for the highest-attended MMA event in history.
National Stadium in Tokyo hosted a Pride/K-1 event in 2002 called ‘Shockwave’ which reportedly had over 91,000 attendees.