Autumn Fair: The Bullfighting Yet to Come

Apart from Morante, the undisputed star of the season, and Talavante, the great triumph of San Isidro, the rest of the matadors on the bill for the 2025 Autumn Fair in Madrid belong to the new generation determined to claim the key places in the big fairs over the coming years.

This is what we might call “the bullfighting yet to come” — in other words, the toreros who will shape the posters of the future, starting as soon as next season. Among them, however, there is one striking exception: José Ignacio Uceda Leal. A veteran matador whose classic style transcends time, bridging his own era, the past decades and those still to come, because his bullfighting never goes out of fashion.

With nearly thirty years as a matador, he is a true reference point for both aficionados and professionals. More than just a Madrid bullfighter, he is considered a torero de toreros. He will open the bill on Sunday, 5 October, facing bulls from Fuente Ymbro and El Puerto y La Ventana. Sharing the poster are Fortes, the talented malagueño who also shone at San Isidro, and Víctor Hernández, the revelation of the fair, whose career momentum was abruptly interrupted by an injury in Torrejón de Ardoz shortly after his success in Madrid.

The day before, on Saturday, 4 October, the spotlight will be on Jarocho, the young novillero from Burgos and triumph at San Isidro 2024, who returns to Madrid to confirm his alternativa. Talavante will act as padrino, while Pablo Aguado, a leading name in artistic toreo, will serve as testigo. Completing this luxury line-up will be bulls from Domingo Hernández.

The fair will open on Friday, 3 October with the first corrida of the cycle, featuring three matadors who, through consistent triumphs, have carved a place for themselves in the major ferias once dominated exclusively by established figures. Now, they are practically considered among them: Emilio de Justo, Borja Jiménez, and Tomás Rufo. The bulls will come from Victoriano del Río, one of the most sought-after irons among the figures, further proof of their rising stature.

On Saturday, 11 October, the traditional Victorino Martín corrida will close the main programme. The bulls will be fought by David Galván, Román, and Ginés Marín — three younger matadors with solid experience both in this ring and with this emblematic ganadería. Together, they bring a refreshing and attractive alternative, breaking away from the monotonous and repetitive line-ups with this iron often seen elsewhere.