Kike Hernandez makes allegiance clear in Ilia Topuria vs Charles Oliveira title fight at UFC 317

Dodgers star Kike Hernandez is an avid combat sports fans, and he's especially invested in the UFC. Indeed, Hernandez and his wife, Mariana Vicente, attended UFC 311, the promotion's PPV event in Inglewood, California.

The Dodgers fan favorite recently disclosed who he is rooting for in the upcoming blockbuster UFC main event, UFC 317: Ilia Topuria vs Charles Oliveira. This Saturday, they will fight for the undisputed lightweight title, which pound-for-pound king Islam Makhachev vacated.

On Thursday, Hernandez re-shared UFC CEO Dana White's Instagram video post of the UFC 317 promotional video. He captioned the post with a "Red Rose" emoji.

Kike Hernandez's Instagram story [Image Source: Instagram/kikehndez]

Topuria has incorporated a red rose into his UFC persona, specifically since his fight against Josh Emmett. Born to Georgian parents, Topuria is a Spanish citizen, nicknamed "El Matador," a nod at the nation's iconic sporting event, bullfighting. Roses are associated with the matador tradition.

Incidentally, red roses were in the promo for his fight against Alexander Volkanovski at UFC 298. Moreover, Real Madrid legend Sergio Ramos gifted Topuria a red rose before his first title defense against Max Holloway at UFC 308. Topuria won both fights by knockout.

Therefore, Kike Hernandez, with the "Red Rose" emoji, had made his allegiance clear just days before UFC 317. The event will be held at the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada. Hernandez probably won't attend as the Dodgers play the Kansas City Royals at the Kauffman Stadium in Missouri.

Kike Hernandez was seemingly sad about the UFC 315 main event result

Kike Hernandez, alongside the MMA community, were invested in the UFC 315 welterweight title fight between Belal Muhammad and Jack Della Maddalena. UFC CEO Dana White had already confirmed that the result of Muhammad and Della Maddalena would determine Ilia Topuria's opponent at UFC 317

Had Muhammad defended the title, Islam Makhachev wouldn't have vacated the lightweight title and moved up due to their friendship. Makhachev would've fought Topuria at UFC 317 in a massive superfight. Unfortunately, Della Maddalena won, setting up Topuria vs Oliveira for UFC 317.

Soon after UFC 315's conclusion, Hernandez acknowledged Della Maddalena's victory with an Instagram story. However, he also added another story, seemingly showcasing disappointment for the superfight not happening, captioning it:

"We'll have to wait for Ilia and Islam"

Screenshot of Kike Hernandez's Instagram stories [Image Source: Instagram/kikehndez]

Hernandez probably won't have to wait too long for the super fight. Makhachev has already expressed interest in claiming the lightweight title after a potential victory over Maddalena at welterweight. Topuria, too, has expressed interest, offering to fight Makhachev at welterweight if he wins against Maddalena.