UFC featherweight champion Ilia Topuria outlined a two-fight plan.
Topuria (15-0 MMA, 7-0 UFC) expects his first title defense to be against former 145-pound champion Max Holloway (26-7 MMA, 22-7 UFC), which knocked out Justin Gaethje at UFC 300 in April.
However, Topuria still has his sights set on a megafight with Conor McGregor (22-6 MMA, 10-4 UFC), who returns against Michael Chandler in the main event of UFC 303 on June 29. “El Matador” is confident he can fill the Santiago Bernabeu stadium when the UFC makes its long-awaited debut in Spain. year.
“I hope to defend the belt with Max Holloway and then I want to fight Conor McGregor, I hope,” said Topuria Sportskeeda. “If he wins the next fight, that’s the fight I’m looking for. So I hope that happens.
“It’s going to be the biggest fight in MMA history – the biggest box office, the biggest pay-per-view, the biggest everything. We will have around 80 thousand people watching the fight (in person).”
Ideally, Topuria wants the fight against Holloway to happen in the fall.
“My goal is to return in September,” Topuria said. “At the moment we are talking, so we will see. If Max Holloway can fight in September, we will have a fight. If not, maybe we’re heading towards the end of the year or something like that. I want to fight as soon as possible because next year I want to fight in Spain.”
