Ilia Topuria, the new UFC lightweight champ, just flattened Charles Oliveira at UFC 317, and he’s already looking for his next big moment. At the post-fight press conference on June 28, 2025, in Las Vegas, Topuria called out Paddy Pimblett for a blockbuster fight at Real Madrid’s Santiago Bernabeu Stadium.
“Yes, that’s the fight that I want,” Topuria said of Pimblett. “Because with Charles, I had a little bit of a difficult situation because I really like the guy, you know? He’s a really great human being. You can’t hate him. You always see him surrounded by his family, friends, teammates. He’s an amazing human being.”
But with Pimblett? It’s personal.
“At the end I was like, ‘This is competition. I have to do my job, and that’s it.’ But with Paddy, I’m really gonna enjoy kicking his ass,”
Topuria added, firing up the room. He’s dreaming big, pushing for a stadium fight in Spain, and this could be a game-changer for the UFC.
Topuria’s Vision for Spain and Fight Night Recap
Topuria didn’t just beat Oliveira at UFC 317—he obliterated him with a knockout, claiming the lightweight title to go with his featherweight belt. The T-Mobile Arena crowd went wild as Topuria, now 16-0, became the second UFC fighter to win titles in two divisions. Post-fight, he turned his focus to Pimblett, saying:
“I want to take you to Spain for that fight in the stadium, in Santiago Bernabeu Stadium. The whole week, you will enjoy it. Nice food, everything. You are gonna love it. I wanna take you guys to Spain.”
He doubled down, emphasizing the event’s scale.
“It is inevitable that Spain is going to happen,” he said via translator. “Yes. It’ll be great to be in the Santiago Bernabeu against Paddy Pimblett. And we’re talking about Champions League finals level. Think about Spain, Georgia, all the British people coming over. And as far as this being the greatest fight ever? I don’t wanna diminish the importance of so many great fights that have been around the block. But it would be an amazing fight.” Topuria’s ready to go, adding, “I could be ready by the end of the year if they want me. If I get the call from the UFC and they want me to get back in the octagon by the end of the year, I will be ready.” via MMAMania
Topuria’s journey is unreal. Born in Georgia and raised in Spain, he joined the UFC in 2020, going 9-0 with knockouts over Alexander Volkanovski (UFC 298, February 2024) and Max Holloway (UFC 308, October 2024). He won the featherweight title from Volkanovski and defended it against Holloway before moving to lightweight. His Oliveira win at UFC 317 cemented his status as a two-division champ. A lifelong Real Madrid fan, Topuria did the ceremonial kickoff at Bernabeu in February 2024, backed by soccer legend Sergio Ramos.
Pimblett, 23-3, is on a nine-fight win streak, including a massive TKO over Michael Chandler at UFC 314 on April 12, 2025. The fight saw Pimblett dominate with leg kicks, a knee that cut Chandler open, and a third-round stoppage, earning praise from Dana White as “the real deal,”. Pimblett’s UFC run includes submission wins over King Green (July 2024) and Jordan Leavitt (July 2022). His feud with Topuria kicked off in 2022 with a heated clash at UFC London, where Pimblett threw a hand sanitizer bottle and Topuria swung back. Pimblett responded to Topuria’s callout on June 29, 2025, saying, “I will put that punk in his place. Get it booked!”
The MMA community is eating this up. Daniel Cormier said on March 29, 2025, “If they were to go to Spain, they could sell out the Bernabeu,”. Dana White’s keen, saying on February 18, 2024, “Sounds good, I like it,” when told Bernabeu’s retractable roof could host 80,000 fans. But there’s a catch. Topuria revealed the UFC told him a Spain event would mean fighting at 4 a.m. local time to suit U.S. viewers. He’s not thrilled, saying, “I don’t wanna do that. I’m a professional athlete. I wanna fight in good conditions.”
White admitted venue issues, noting, “All the arenas were booked up. We’re trying to figure it out,”. Topuria’s manager, Lukasz Orzel, cited security concerns and Bernabeu’s packed schedule. Still, Topuria’s push for Spain is gaining traction, with fans and media like Megan Olivi backing a 2025 event.
