Did Ilia Topuria face struggles getting his Spanish citizenship? Taking a look at his comments after winning the UFC title
Ilia Topuria has represented both Spain and Georgia since before entering the UFC in 2020.
Despite having donned the Spanish flag for years, and having lived in the country since he was 15 years old, 'El Matador' was only granted citizenship of the country yesterday.
A video of him alongside the president of Spain, Pedro Sanchez, was uploaded to the president's account on X. Sanchez wrote the following:
"This morning I received @Topuriailia, the new @ufc featherweight world champion. Your effort, dedication and perseverance have led you to fulfill one of your dreams. The second will also become a reality very soon. Your love for Spain will be reflected in your Spanish ID." [translated via Google]
Watch the video below:
His citizenship was granted almost two weeks after his superb KO victory over Alexander Volkanovski at UFC 298 to become the new featherweight champion.
During his appearance in front of the media at the post-event press conference, Topuria was asked to detail his apparent struggles to attain Spanish citizenship, which had been shared by Spanish media members, according to the journalist asking the question.
The featherweight champion immediately dismissed the notion that he had faced any difficulties with Spanish authorities. He said this:
"I don't know who told you that, but I didn't have any difficulties with that."
Watch Ilia Topuria's interview below from 9:40:
Ilia Topuria discusses a potential rematch with Alexander Volkanovski
Ilia Topuria realized his dream of becoming a UFC champion against Alexander Volkanovski almost two weeks ago.
Ahead of their UFC 298 clash, 'El Matador' had an air of confidence around him that was almost palpable. He claimed that his fight with Volkanovski would be one of his easiest fights yet, and he backed up his words with a second-round KO victory.
During the Australian's post-fight interview in the octagon, he called for a rematch with Topuria. The featherweight champion discussed a potential second fight with 'The Great' during his post-fight press conference, saying:
"At this point I'm like, 'Okay I'm going to give him the rematch because he's a good person.' But at the same time, it's time to move on. It's time to clean up the division a little bit. It's time for the new generation, to have new challenges."