Anaheim, CA — Ilia Topuria doesn’t care about becoming an undefeated champion, although that is the exact opportunity in front of him at UFC 298 this Saturday.
“Not at all to be honest,” Topuria (14-0) explained during Wednesday’s UFC 298 media day. “I don’t care about that. I just accept everything that comes my way. That’s it. If I have to be undefeated this long, I’m grateful about that fact. If not, I’m never going to lost the trust in myself.”
Nor does Topuria expect his life to change much with the desired outcome against Alexander Volkanovski, one of the most decorated featherweights in UFC history.
“To be honest I don’t care about that kind of thing. I just want to be happy, which I am, I’m already very happy with my life, with everything I’ve got,” the 27-year old, who has ties to Germany, Spain, and Georgia, explained. “So any result isn’t going to change my life. I’m a happy man, and I will [stay] as a happy man after this Saturday night too.”
If Topuria does come away from Anaheim this Saturday sporting featherweight gold, however, he would love to see big things. Having infamously said he won’t afford title shots to the likes of Brian Ortega and Yair Rodriugez, Ilia Topuria instead envisions a stadium show at home in Spain.
As to who that would come against, “I would put Conor McGregor. That’s the fight that I would make at the Santiago Bernabéu.”
The Spanish stadium houses upwards of 80,000 fans, so no doubt a name like McGregor would be necessary to fill it. And the UFC would have to overcome their reluctance to book stadium shows, which they have done on occasion. First up, however, Topuria has to contend with Alexander Volkanovski this Saturday.
Watch the full UFC 298 media day appearance by Ilia Topuria above.
