1527 days later. Australian fighter Alexander Volkanovski (26-4-0), holder of the -66 kilos belt since 2019, fell to rising UFC star Ilia Topuria (15-0-0). The 27-year-old Spaniard knocked out the undisputed champion in round 2 to become the new unbeaten -66 kilos champion.
He becomes the first Spaniard to win a UFC title. After 14 professional MMA fights, he got his chance tonight against the absolute king of the featherweight division Alexander Volkanovski and knocked him out in the second round, adding another victory to his perfect record and achieving a feat that only four fighters had ever achieved: Israel Adsanya, Khabib Numagomedov, Ciryl Gane and Cody Garbrandt.
An invitation to McGregor
After the victory, Ilia Topuria made an appeal to his detractors and to... Conor McGregor: "People will tell you that you can't do it, but the only person you have to prove anything to is yourself. Work hard. Look at me now. I know my skills, I've worked really hard for tonight. I knew I was going to become world champion. I had to give up a lot of combinations. Dana, it's time to shine and bring the UFC to Spain. McGregor, if you still have balls, I'll be waiting for you in Spain."
The victory was won in front of a host of Iberian stars who came to support the man who is carrying the hopes of the UFC in Spain: Riqui Puig, Aron Piper, Alberto Contador and Omar Montes. Star fighters such as Michael Chandler, Sean O'Malley, Josh Emmett, Alexa Grasso and Justin Gaethje were also present. Spanish flags were flying in the Los Angeles crowd, where some 400 fans had made the trip.
Text by BFM TV AC
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