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UFC News: Ilia Topuria Gets Breathtaking Standing Ovation At Real Madrid Soccer Match

The newly-minted UFC featherweight champion received a hero’s welcome Sunday.

Zain Bando

UFC News: Ilia Topuria Gets Breathtaking Standing Ovation At Real Madrid Soccer Match
UFC News: Ilia Topuria Gets Breathtaking Standing Ovation At Real Madrid Soccer Match /

Ilia Topuria is soaking in the benefits of being the man to beat at 145 pounds.

Topuria, who turned the MMA world on its axis just eight days ago with a stunning KO over Alexander Volkanovski, was seen receiving showers of joyous support from Real Madrid fans Sunday afternoon.

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‘El Matador’ draped his belt over his shoulder to the tune of 85,000 people, making the possibility of a UFC event, and Topuria’s first title defense in Spain, realistic.

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Sun Sport’s Chisanga Malata took notice of the video and said it goes to show the monumental support Topuria has received since his championship win.

“New UFC featherweight champion Ilia Topuria was given a hero’s welcome by Real Madrid fans at the Santiago Bernabeu this evening ahead of their clash with Sevilla,” Malata wrote. “The biggest club in the world showing ‘El Matador’ huge love. This is big.”

To put it in an Americanized perspective, it would be similar to a UFC champion getting welcomed back to a major sporting event in their home state (i.e. Sean O’Malley attending a Wyoming bowl game).

This isn’t the first time a UFC champion has been welcomed home with open arms, but given Madrid’s stature as a premier soccer franchise and its valuableness, the UFC can say it has a truly global superstar.

At press time, Topuria’s Instagram has continued to impress, reaching 3.3 million followers and receiving over 7,000 comments upon posting photos after his UFC 298 triumph.

Only time will tell with how big Topuria will become globally, but his next fight and his first title defense will have the world buzzing.

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Zain Bando
ZAIN BANDO

Zain Bando is a writer for MMA Knockout, part of the Sports Illustrated/Minute Media umbrella. He has covered combat sports since 2019 for notable outlets BJPenn.com and FanSided MMA. He also co-hosts a podcast called "The MMA Outsiders," part of the Empty The Bench Podcast Network, which airs Tuesday nights at 7:00 p.m. ET/4:00 p.m. PT. A Chicago suburban native, Bando has been enthralled with MMA since 2006 and has been fortunate to attend some of the most high-profile events in the sport's history, both as a fan and media member, including UFC 264, Bellator 297 and Kayla Harrison's PFL MMA debut. He is excited to take the next step in his combat sports writing journey and looks forward to continuing his following of the fight game for years to come. Bando can be reached via email at zainbando99@gmail.com or by social media @zainbando99

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