The Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) will emulate the National Football League (NFL) with the competition’s first ever bout in Spain, Iberian fighter Ilia Topuria has confirmed, via X (Twitter).
The announcement
“I already have a date for UFC Spain”, wrote the new UFC featherweight world champion. Although it has been said that the meeting could take place in the first three months of 2025, the date has not yet been finalized.
Topuria declared on the occasion of the Mutua Madrid Open tennis event, held in the capital between April 22 and May 5, that the match will be in the first quarter of next year, probably at the Santiago Bernabeu, specifying that:
“When I was there kicking off, I kept visualizing and thinking about the moment when I would arrive in the octagon, in such a legendary stadium”.
If the news is confirmed, the competition will arrive in Spain for the first time in its history. However, it won’t be the first time in Europe, as the UFC has two fights scheduled in the Old Continent: one in August in Manchester and another a month later in Paris.
For its part, the Santiago Bernabéu stadium is becoming the entry point for major American sports competitions. In February it was confirmed that the NFL will be making a trip to Spain to play a regular season game, specifically Miami Dolphins vs. Chicago Bears.
The growth of the UFC
UFC grew its revenue 13% in 2023 to $1.3 billion, while parent company TKO Group Holdings posted its first profit after completing its first quarter as owner of World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE ).
TKO posted annual earnings of $1.7 billion, which includes the full year of UFC and WWE earnings since September 12, the day wrestling giant WWE merged with its mixed martial arts division to form TKO.
UFC events posted the biggest percentage gain of the year, up 34% to $168 million, thanks to improved ticket sales and increased venue fees. In recent quarters, the company has emphasized the need for host cities to contribute to event costs.
