Ilia Topuria doesn’t think much of Conor McGregor’s return to the cage.
This summer, McGregor returns to the octagon after a five-year hiatus, taking on Max Holloway in the main event of UFC 329, the feature event of International Fight Week. Given McGregor’s star power, the event figures to be one of the biggest of the year for the UFC, but the lightweight champion is not impressed.
“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.”
Of course, this is not the first time McGregor and Holloway have fought. The two faced off 13 years ago in McGregor’s second-ever UFC fight, with “Notorious” winning a unanimous decision. Since then, both men have put together Hall of Fame careers, but despite their profound changes over that time, Topuria still believes McGregor has the upper hand.
“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.”
But first, Topuria has his own battles to fight, taking on Justin Gaethje next month at UFC White House in a lightweight unification bout.
UFC 329 takes place on July 11 at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas.
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