As UFC 308 approaches, Ilia Topuria appears determined to ignite as many rivalries as he can with fellow fighters, attracting some unexpected names in his latest conflicts.
With fans eagerly counting down to what is widely regarded as one of the year’s most anticipated matchups, Topuria is not only gearing up to face Max Holloway but also taking on the notorious Irishman, Conor McGregor.
Conor McGregor stepped up to defend Max Holloway in a fiery response to Ilia Topuria
During a recent episode of The Ariel Helwani Show, Topuria took a jab at Holloway’s featherweight record, suggesting that anyone who loses to McGregor should abandon their hopes of ever competing for a world title again. While McGregor did secure a unanimous decision victory over Holloway in their 2017 bout, it’s important to note that ‘Blessed’ went on to achieve an incredible 13-fight winning streak, which included consecutive knockouts of Jose Aldo that earned him the UFC championship.
“He got beat by Conor McGregor – when you get beaten by Conor McGregor, shut the f*** up, f*** just forget about it, when Conor McGregor beats you, [you should] forget about it.”
Ilia Topuria responds to Conor McGregor saying he’s more Spanish than him:
“When I see myself in the mirror, below my waist, I also think sometimes I’m more African than Francis Ngannou.” 😭😭😭😭
🎥 @arielhelwani #HelwaniShow pic.twitter.com/UCWkyVd0Dk
— Championship Rounds (@ChampRDS) October 15, 2024
Fortunately for Holloway, he didn’t need to respond to Topuria’s comments himself; the ‘Notorious’ former featherweight champion came to his aid with an intense message of support on X.
“It’s not a bad shout hahaha but Holloway came back and earned it majorly. Two time FW champion. Attempted double champ. Is current BMF champ. Nah he the real deal. Always was, always is. Holloway is an always was, always is. 1000% He became way better after losing to me. He actually became an all-time great after losing to me. This is a stellar fight folks! He took moves as well with him. He became ambidextrous after fighting me. He can fight in both stances now as good as each other.”
Topuria and Holloway are gearing up to clash in the main event of UFC 308 next weekend, where the Spanish-Georgian knockout artist enters the fight as a slight favorite against the seasoned Hawaiian.
“He will be very hard to catch for the little man,” noted McGregor on Holloway’s chance to re-capture UFC gold, before he sent one final warning to the 15-0 champion.
“Don’t walk into a crushing blow bro. He is strong too. And very experienced! 100%! BIG FIGHT FEEL FOR ME HERE, FOLKS! Oh yes Let’s go! #yawelcome #ufcabudhabi.”
Conor McGregor defends Max Holloway from Ilia Topuria's comments pic.twitter.com/JL1e9LQ7tm
— MMA Fighting (@MMAFighting) October 16, 2024
In his recent interview with Helwani, Ilia Topuria acknowledged that while it’s unlikely he’ll ever face Conor McGregor in the UFC octagon, there’s a possibility they could train together in 2025.
“That’s never going to happen, never. How?! I’m the world champion and he’s not even in the rankings, but we can do something if he wants… For my next training camp for my next fight, I invite him, and I invite him [to train] with Dan Hooker and they can do two-and-a-half one, two-and-a-half another.
“I change them each like every round, we can do that. An official fight is impossible and at this point, I have much bigger fights [available] than Conor McGregor… Conor McChicken.”
Although a training session between the two would be fascinating to see, it seems unlikely to happen. Just hours later, McGregor took to social media to jokingly suggest that Topuria’s nickname should be changed from ‘El Matador’ to ‘The Puppy.’
Conor McGregor's new nickname for Ilia Topuria is "The Puppy" 😭😭
"Little puppy paws he has… He is now "The Puppy", which is a good name, everybody likes puppies 🐶"#UFC #MMA pic.twitter.com/QzDfECaAMj
— Championship Rounds (@ChampRDS) October 16, 2024
Topuria captured the championship with a stunning knockout of Alexander Volkanovski at UFC 298 earlier this February. On the other hand, McGregor has not stepped into the octagon in over three years, following a leg break he suffered during his trilogy bout against Dustin Poirier in 2021.
