Ilia Topuria, UFC featherweight world champion, expressed his frustration this Wednesday over the scheduling conflict between his fight in Abu Dhabi (United Arab Emirates) to defend his title and the match between Real Madrid and Barcelona. In a playful tone, he joked that he might have to "knock out Javier Tebas," the president of LaLiga.  

"Maybe I got it wrong, and instead of knocking out Max Holloway, I’ll have to knock out the one responsible for scheduling that match at the same time and on the same day as my fight, even though this was known months in advance," Topuria said during a press conference ahead of his bout against the American fighter.  

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Upon learning that LaLiga is responsible for setting the match schedules, the fighter humorously added, "Well, then Tebas is next."  

Tebas wasted no time responding on social media: "@Topuriailia. I didn’t know I was on your knockout list! Just so you know, I’m harder to bring down than organizing *El Clásico* at a time everyone agrees on. 😜 But give Max Holloway everything you’ve got!"  

The Real Madrid vs. Barcelona match will take place on Saturday at 9:00 p.m., while Topuria's fight will begin around 11:00 p.m. Spanish time (1:00 a.m. in Abu Dhabi), following other scheduled bouts.  

Topuria expressed his disappointment over the overlap: "I’m not going to tell people not to watch the game. It hurts that sports fans won’t have the chance to enjoy both events. Watch what you prefer, and thank you for the support."  

A known Real Madrid fan, Topuria performed the ceremonial kick-off at the Santiago Bernabéu on February 25 during the league match between Real Madrid and Sevilla. He also dared to predict the outcome of *El Clásico*: "I think Real Madrid will win 3-1."