Ilia Topuria is on everyone's lips. A few days ago, the fighter was proclaimed champion of the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) featherweight category, after defeating Alexander Volkanovski at UFC 298. A victory, a triumph for which he received the congratulations of many thousands of people, many of them famous. Although there was one in particular who did not do so until now, and that is the President of the Government of Spain, Pedro Sánchez.

Shortly after landing at the Madrid airport, Topuria headed to a famous hotel in the Spanish capital to give a press conference to numerous media outlets. When asked if Sánchez congratulated him, El Matador - as the fighter is known - answered no, something that "hurt" him:

It is very common for the President of the Government of Spain to congratulate his country's athletes when they win any trophy or medal. But on this occasion, without knowing the reasons, he did not do it. Several days have passed since Topuria obtained the featherweight champion belt, enough time for Sánchez to send him congratulations.

He had to pass immigration control at the airport

El Matador was born in Germany and spent his childhood in Georgia, his parents' native country. But, when Topuria was 15 years old, he and his family packed their bags and moved to Spain, specifically to the city of Alicante, located on the Mediterranean coast.

Topuria is 27 years old, he has been residing in Spain for more than a decade, a country he "loves" and whose flag he always wears with pride, as we saw at UFC 298. When he arrived in Madrid, the fighter had to go through immigration controls at the airport. Despite the years he has been living in Spain, it is true that he still does not have nationality - according to the newspaper Marca -, but he will never stop recognizing himself as Spanish.