Ilia Topuria wants Conor McGregor to beat Max Holloway at UFC 329, and he is not hiding the reason. A McGregor win keeps a future Topuria vs. McGregor fight alive.
McGregor is scheduled to face Holloway on July 11 in Las Vegas, in a rematch of their 2013 featherweight bout at UFC Fight Night 26. McGregor won that first meeting by unanimous decision before later becoming the UFC’s first simultaneous two-division champion.
Holloway went on to become UFC featherweight champion and one of the most active volume strikers in UFC history. Topuria stopped Holloway in the third round at UFC 308, handing him the first knockout loss of his MMA career.
Here is the original clip from Championship Rounds:
https://x.com/ChampRDS/status/2057922537477005391
Topuria made the comments to ESPN Deportes, with MMA Fighting carrying the translated version:
“It’s a shitty fight,” Topuria told ESPN Deportes. “But hey, it’s good for the sport. You have to admit that Conor is one of the biggest stars in the UFC. It’s like it has its pros and cons; he’s on the decline, and the only one who’s going to benefit is him, not the UFC. …
“I’m sure he’ll try to put on the best show, all his antics suit him well,” Topuria added. “It’s going to be a stand-up, striking fight, no wrestling or ground fighting. Don’t think Conor is much worse than Max, they’ll be like two kittens touching each other.”
“They’ve already fought once, and he beat him,” Topuria said. “Conor should beat him, if you ask me who I want to win, who would be best for me. If he wins and then wins another fight, we can have that fight.”
Topuria said McGregor still brings casual viewers, even if the fight does more for McGregor’s name than the UFC’s long-term title picture. He also expects the rematch to stay mostly on the feet, with McGregor and Holloway trading in a striking-heavy fight rather than forcing extended wrestling or ground exchanges.
Topuria Wants The McGregor Door Open
McGregor is 22-6 in MMA, with 19 wins by knockout. His last UFC win came against Donald Cerrone in January 2020, and his last appearance ended with a broken leg against Dustin Poirier at UFC 264 in July 2021.
Holloway enters the rematch with a 27-9 record. He is a former UFC featherweight champion, former BMF titleholder, and the UFC record holder for most significant strikes landed. His wins include José Aldo, Brian Ortega, Frankie Edgar, Yair Rodriguez, Calvin Kattar, Arnold Allen, Justin Gaethje, and The Korean Zombie.
Topuria is 17-0, with 7 knockouts and 8 submissions. He knocked out Alexander Volkanovski to win the featherweight title, stopped Holloway in his first defense, then moved to lightweight and knocked out Charles Oliveira in 2:27 to win the vacant belt.
Topuria still has Justin Gaethje at UFC Freedom 250 on June 14. If he beats Gaethje and McGregor beats Holloway, the UFC would have a direct route to one of its biggest possible fights.
