‘Determination’, for the Royal Spanish Academy of Language, is also ‘boldness’ and ‘value’. Words that define, that fit like a glove, to Ilia Topuria. It has the determination of the sane fools who dream of something and don’t stop until they see it materialize. The audacity of a boy who arrived in Alicante with everything against him to progress, son of Georgian emigrants who came to Spain to seek a better future after the Russian invasionand he climbed the ladder working on the beach placing hammocks, as a cashier in a clothing store or in security work without leaving the gym, where he knew that the key to opening the door to heaven was actually there. And of course He has the courage to lock himself in a cage and fight (literally) anyone. With violence, yes, because it is intrinsic to Mixed Martial Arts, but also with martial and scientific preparation, and mastery of boxing, jiu-jitsu, wrestling, judo or kicks that come from karate or taekwondo.
His life is like a movie, and that’s why he already has it, The Matador. He has managed to place the UFC in the ranking of the most followed sports in this country. Almost from nowhere. He has made thousands of people get up at dawn to see his KO of Volkanovski live. Also to alternating screen with a Real Madrid-Barça while playing with Holloway. Not everyone can achieve that. And he has done it. The man who in 2025 will make the UFC land in Spain. What he says, he does.
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