Ilia Topuria recently shared a two-word reaction after catching up with David Villa, a Spanish soccer legend. The featherweight champion has become a star for the UFC since his knockout win over Alexander Volkanovski and has been embraced by Spain and several of their top athletes.
Villa was one of the top soccer players that the country produced as he was a member of Spain's 2008 UEFA Euro Cup and 2010 FIFA World Cup rosters and still holds the record for most goals scored for the national team.
'El Matador' is also a popular athlete in Spain. He was a guest at a Real Madrid home match at the famous Santiago Bernabeu Stadium immediately after winning the featherweight championship.
Villa appears to be a fan as he posted a photo with the reigning featherweight champion to his Instagram account, which has 8.8 million followers. Topuria took to the comment section and mentioned that the feeling was mutual and that he holds him in high regard. He wrote:
Get the latest updates on One Championship Rankings at Sportskeeda and more
"Un honor."
Check out Ilia Topuria's reaction to catching up with David Villa below:
David Villa expresses gratitude on catching up with Ilia Topuria
David Villa has taken notice of Ilia Topuria's meteoric rise to superstardom as he expressed his gratitude after meeting and taking a photo with him.
The legendary Spanish striker took to his Instagram account and the aforementioned photo along with a caption directed towards 'El Matador'. The former FIFA World Cup winner mentioned that two world champions came together for the photo and expressed well wishes for the UFC featherweight champion's career. He wrote:
"Champions of the World. A pleasure to meet you @iliatopuria, I wish you the best!" [translated from Spanish]
Check out Villa's photo with Topuria below: