Ilia Topuria reacts to Carlos Alcaraz's French Open 2024 title win
Ilia Topuria recently reacted to a social media post by Carlos Alcaraz, who is fresh of winning the 2024 edition of the French Open, further strengthening his claim to being the world's best tennis player. Alcaraz celebrated his win by posting a celebratory trophy picture on Instagram.
This drew the attention of fellow Spaniard, Topuria, who achieved world championship success in MMA earlier in the year, dethroning Alexander Volkanovski at UFC 298 to capture the promotion's featherweight title via second-round knockout.
Topuria took to the comment section to express his admiration and respect for Alcaraz. He simply stated:
"Idol"
Topuria is expected to face former 145-pound champion and reigning 'BMF' titleholder Max Holloway at a later date. However, no official announcement has been made.
Furthermore, 'El Matador' has challenged Holloway to put his 'BMF' championship on the line. Meanwhile, Volkanovski is waiting in the wings, certain that he will fight for the title following Holloway's expected clash with Topuria. However, the Spaniard is aiming higher.
He is determined to defend his 145-pound strap, before pursuing money fights with Conor McGregor and eventually challenging for a second belt in a different division. For now, though, he must solidify his featherweight reign with, at the very least, one title defense.
While he has campaigned for a title fight in his home country of Spain, there is still no news on an official UFC event in the country.
Ilia Topuria's own championship win was celebrated by other Spanish sports icons
While Ilia Topuria congratuled Carlos Alcarez's French Open championship win, his own UFC featherweight title win saw him receive an outpouring of support and admiration from Spanish icons across a number of sports. Real Madrid, one of the world's biggest football clubs and one of the most popular teams across all sports, welcomed Topuria to parade his title in their iconic Santiago Bernabeu stadium.
Check out Ilia Topuria at the Santiago Bernabeu:
He took part in a pre-game honorary kickoff, which is not common in association football/soccer. This demosntrates the enormity of Topuria becoming Spain's first-ever UFC champion, which many feel will herald a new era at featherweight.