UFC CEO Dana White was “thrilled” at the prospect of staging a PPV event in Spain. Spaniard Ilia Topuria, the current UFC featherweight champ, would have toppled the affair. But behind the hard-shell KO of a dazzling man is a football fan! Real Madrid fan Topuria, plus the hurdle of staging a Santiago Bernabeu fight might have put a stop to the process.
Ilia Topuria defeated Alexander Volkanovski at UFC 298. “El Matador” took over the Super Bowl LVIII Radio Row, Jack Slack Podcast 164; receiving an ovation during the El Hormiguero interview. His coach Jorge Climent said he wanted to sell out Real Madrid’s Santiago Bernabeu. Those talks progressed after his UFC 308 PPV win. However, Topuria’s manager, Lukasz Orzel, poured some cold water on the matter.
We thought so, but no, because the first thing is that it is very difficult from the point of view from security to secure such a big event… UFC does not want it at all because of the quality of the show for the spectator at the stadium and in the arena are two different things…Barcelona wrote a letter said they do not want UFC because Ilia is a fan of Real Madrid and at this point, the topic died because UFC needs about half a year to prepare such an event in terms of marketing and so on.
Lukasz Orzel to Kanał Sportowy (@Kanal_Sportowy) YT channel
Realistically, he said there are only two big arenas to stage the football grind they have. The production process of staging Real Madrid tick Topuria’s title fight would block out 50% of the stock! That’s a strict no-no for the El Clásico rival FC Barcelona.
No UFC Spain This Year?
In an interview with @Sportowy_Kanal, Łukasz Orzeł, Ilia Topuria’s manager, gave an update on the possibility of a UFC event in Spain. He explained that a stadium show, which they initially thought might be possible, is very difficult due to security… pic.twitter.com/GWdZr7Rgmk
— Matysek (@Matysek88) January 9, 2025
The 27-year-old Ilia Topuria has been a reckoning to the UFC featherweight division and is also eyeing a move up a weight class. But for now, Spain is the new Hawaii for UFC standards. White has often debated the quality vs. quantity aspect of staging in open environments like a stadium. This just puts a big stop to the cog. Sometimes, some things aren’t just meant to be in the long haul.
UFC cuts ties with broadcast partners in Brazil, without a TV deal for first time in over 20 years
Ilia Topuria now shifts focus to the land of brawlers and busters. The land of the likes of Alex Pereira, Charles Oliveria, and Alexandre Pantoja. But, the UFC has decided to end its broadcast deal with Band, per SBNation Network. White had looked towards Band along with Fight Pass as perfect tools to reach the audience during launch.
UFC cuts ties with Brazilian broadcast partners in yet another blow (Source: X)The MMA promotion’s three-year TV deal with the major network kicked off in January 2023, with a dozen Fight Night cards aired each year. But with 12 months remaining on the deal, the company has now parted ways with Band. UFC also occasionally aired prelims on the Brazilian channel GOAT.
The UFC’s seven-year contract with ESPN in the United States expires in 2025. The promotion is expecting a very lucrative broadcast deal wherever it goes next. Brazil, the No. 2 country in terms of fighters signed by the company, goes into crisis mitigation. The country also has the cheapest Fight Pass price tags in the world. It’s offering a yearly subscription at a discount for just $2 a month, and other streaming goodies.
The Brazilian strawweight clash at UFC Vegas 101 between Mackenzie Dern and Amanda Ribas on the sweetest of Fight Pass pricing is up next. UFC’s own exclusive streaming platform. For a while, Brazil’s giant Globo was seemingly an option. But those talks have died down. A Fight Night event in Brasilia on May 31 is reportedly in the works. Here’s looking forward to where the Brazilian grind lands next.
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