UFC projects, rules, and schedules tend to follow prerequisites, which are only abandoned in specific cases. One of them is when the situation involves a popularity phenomenon to be explored. And, apparently, Ilia Topuria is treated with that status by the company’s senior management. After all, through the figure of its CEO, Dana White, the UFC opened the doors to hold one of its events in a soccer stadium in Spain, with a view to taking advantage of the hype surrounding the featherweight champion.
In the post-event press conference of UFC Saudi Arabia, the head honcho said, “When we’re going to Spain for the first time, we’ll probably gonna have to do a stadium-type show there because of the arenas they have.” The experience would represent a significant change in the current situation of the shows promoted by the company. But what are some stadiums in consideration? Let’s find out!
Santiago Bernabeu
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In the past, UFC has hosted undercards in soccer stadiums in specific and rare situations, including one in Brazil, in 2016, with UFC 198, held at the ‘Arena da Baixada.’. Normally, the company gives preference to indoor stadiums with less capacity: between 10,000 and 20,000 people on average. However, this regulation can be broken thanks to Topuria, a Spanish-Georgian fighter who is wreaking havoc in the UFC. So, how about going to the home stadium of his favorite soccer team, Real Madrid?
Topuria, a mega fan of Real Madrid, one of the world’s most popular teams, has already indicated a desire to fight against Conor McGregor, the biggest star in MMA history, at the iconic stadium. Furthermore, the UFC featherweight champion has already been honored on the Santiago Bernabeu pitch prior to a match and is a personal friend of player Sergio Ramos, one of the Merengues’ greatest idols in history.
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If the UFC is truly committed to promoting a card in a European country and within a football stadium, the path to a mega-event at the home of the reigning Champions League winner may be the simplest. The stadium has the second-largest seating capacity for a football stadium in Spain, as it can seat 78,297 fans. So, it seems like the go-to place for Dana White.
Camp Nou
What’s better than winning in front of your fans? Winning in front of your rivals! And Ilia Topuria can pull this off if the Dana White-led promotion decides to go to Camp Nou, the home turf of Real Madrid’s biggest rivals, FC Barcelona. Although it is currently undergoing renovation, it has a planned increased seating capacity of 105,000.
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So, much to the pleasure of Dana White, it will be the stadium with the largest capacity in Spain and Europe and the second-largest association football stadium in the world. This would allow the head honcho to shatter UFC gate records with the Spanish fighting in the biggest Spanish stadium. However, the UFC boss will have to do some convincing since ‘El Matador’ has previously refused to fight at the iconic stadium during his rapid-fire questions test for El Partidazo de Cope.
Metropolitano
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Even if Dana White and the UFC fail to negotiate with Real Madrid’s Santiago Bernabeu, then they can still plan an event in Madrid, but at the Metropolitano stadium instead. Also referred to as Riyadh Air Metropolitano for sponsorship reasons, it is the home turf of Atlético Madrid. With a stadium capacity of 70,692, this is the third biggest stadium in Spain and provides the head honcho with the opportunity to earn big money.
At only 27 years old, ‘El Matador,’ as he is known, is on the rise after leading UFC 308 in Abu Dhabi (UAE). He might be the organization’s next ‘goose that lays the golden egg.’. With a 16-0 record and two viral knockouts against two former champions, Alexander Volkanovski and Max Holloway, Topuria’s fame must be capitalized on, and it will remain the primary reason for the UFC to travel to Spain and break its norms by holding an event inside a football stadium. So, what do you think? Which stadium will/should the head honcho choose? Let us know in the comments.