Ilia Topuria nonchalantly picks up tennis sensation Carlos Alcaraz in friendly sparring session [VIDEO]
Current UFC featherweight king Ilia Topuria recently crossed paths with tennis star Carlos Alcaraz.
An Instagram account named @mmaenmarca uploaded a video that featured the Spanish athletes inside an octagon. 'El Matador' and Alcaraz engaged in some playful sparring before Topuria picked him up and carried him around.
Check out the friendly interaction between Ilia Topuria and Carlos Alcaraz below:
At the young age of 20, Alcaraz had made quite a name for himself in the world of tennis. He currently holds the No.3 spot in the Association of Tennis Professionals (ATP) rankings and has captured a total of 13 ATP-level titles. This includes him winning the 2022 US Open and 2023 Wimbledon championship.
Topuria, on the other hand, is an undefeated fighter with a spectacular MMA record of 15-0. 'El Matador' has had seven UFC appearances and won all of them. Five of Topuria's seven victories have come via finishes - four knockouts and one submission.
In his last UFC outing, the Spaniard locked horns against Alexander Volkanovski for the featherweight throne at UFC 298 on February 17 at the Honda Center in Anaheim, California.
Topuria scored the biggest victory of his career to date as he knocked out Volkanovski in the second round to capture the UFC gold. With the victory, the 27-year-old became the only athlete to defeat 'The Great' at featherweight.
Ilia Topuria has his eyes on the BMF title
After capturing the UFC featherweight belt, Ilia Topuria is seemingly interested in going after the BMF belt, which currently resides with Max Holloway.
Holloway went toe-to-toe against Justin Gaethje for the BMF title at UFC 300. That night, 'Blessed' delivered an instant-classic moment for UFC fans around the world as he brutally knocked out Gaethje in the closing seconds of the fight.
After that, Topuria expressed a desire to fight Holloway, leading to a back-and-forth between the two on social media.
Later, 'El Matador' uploaded a post saying that he was only interested in fighting the 32-year-old because of his wish to capture the BMF championship.
"You now have the one thing that keeps you relevant and that would grant you a money fight, the BMF belt. Winning that belt while holding my title will cement me as the first. The first to hold both belts."