Barcelona Soccer Star Ferran Torres Expresses Admiration for Ilia Topuria

Spanish soccer star Ferran Torres recently shared details about what he called a life-changing interaction with Ultimate Fighting Championship featherweight contender Ilia Topuria.

Torres had the chance to meet with his fellow Spaniard during a visit to the United States. When the FC Barcelona standout asked Topuria about his expectations from his upcoming bout, the ever-confident fighter said he didn’t see it going past the opening frame. Ferran admitted that he aspires to achieve that same same sense of invincibility.

"I arrived as Ferran and I returned as another…I met Ilia Topuria and saw his circle of trust and how they always made him believe he was the best, unconditional support,” Torres said on "The Wild Project” podcast. “I asked him how he looked ahead of the fight and he said, 'He's not going to make it past the first round.’ I want to be like that.”

Undefeated in 14 professional outings, Topuria has only gone the distance twice in his entire professional career. The 26-year-old is set to challenge Alexander Volkanovski for the featherweight title at UFC 298 on Feb. 19 at the Honda Center in Anaheim, California.