Mixed martial arts as a sport has turned into a global phenomenon in a brief span of time, where most other leagues take years to establish a fanbase. In the case of MMA, the hardcore fan following stuck to it since its inception and has only grown umpteen times over. Sometimes, MMA fans can come up to world champions like Ilia Topuria with wild requests. This is exactly what the featherweight champ has been experiencing recently.
Topuria is well known in UFC as one of the most powerful punchers, who even knocked out Max Holloway. In his lead-up to the UFC 308 fight week, Topuria found himself landing body shots on wild fans upon their request. Honoring the wishes of his followers, the Spanish star was sure to give them a taste of his power. However, things took a wild turn when one of the fans was left in tears, worrying the champion as well.
😭 💥 That last fan cried from Ilia Topuria liver shot.
Will never understand why fans asking Ilia to punch them 😅 pic.twitter.com/9d5gYqMGAR
— Home of Fight (@Home_of_Fight) October 28, 2024
Ilia Topuria has turned himself into one of the breakout stars of 2024 with two thunderous KOs. This has certainly put him in pole position to win the Fighter of the Year. The Spaniard’s wholesome interaction with the fans cements his status as a star. On top of that, he has arrived in the main event scene and has the backing of the whole MMA community.
Oddly enough, Ilia Topuria isn’t the only fighter who has received such wild requests from MMA fans. There have been various instances where fans dared to get into choke holds or take a leg shot from grizzled veterans.
Like Ilia Topuria, Sean Strickland also ran into wild fans in Australia
Sean Strickland’s journey to world title led him to UFC 293 against Israel Adesanya. During the fight week for the card, Strickland gave his supporters a rare chance to spar him. Incidentally, one wild fan took up the challenge and got onto the stage with the middleweight fighter. What happened next shocked the spectators, and UFC brass.
Moreover, there was also an instance where a fan got into an altercation with an MMA fighter. The incident put UFC Head, Dana White, on red alert going into the fight week with Strickland. White expected crazy antics out of his fighter, and he wasn’t disappointed in that regard.
He’s a beauty…he played it up more as a jokingly and the fan and him are cool. Going into this, I knew, I knew what this week is going to be like. Yes, we are prepared for it, and yes, we have people around him now. So he won’t be punching people in the stomach anymore.
Dana White via UFC 293 media scrum
Wild interactions like this and wholesome moments shared between fighters and fans bring the two communities closer, allowing common people to get a slice of the action.
