UFC Lightweight Champion Ilia Topuria will try to unify the title against interim champion Justin Gaethje in the main event of UFC Freedom 250on the South Lawn of the White House on Sunday, June 14.
Should he take care of business, Topuria will be locked into the UFC 329 welterweight non-title main event rematch between Conor McGregor and Max Holloway on Saturday, July 11, in Las Vegas.
Despite the betting odds swaying in favor of Holloway13 years removed since his first fight with McGregor, Topuria has already weighed-in with his way-too-early prediction for the fight. Simply put, if the upset occurs, so does Topuria’s next move, potentially.
Ilia Topuria Offers Clear McGregor-Holloway Pick
“They’ve already fought once, and he beat him,” Topuria told ESPN Deportes. “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.”
Although Topuria is interested in a McGregor fight, he poured cold water on fans’ excitement for the fight, as he argued both McGregor and Holloway are past their primes.
“It’s a s***** fight,” Topuria said. “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.”
Topuria said with how big the UFC’s brand has become, this is old hat for McGregor in his post-title run to be loose and relaxed, rather than carry the entire event.
Ilia Topuria Puts Damper On Excitement For Conor McGregor’s Comeback
“I’m sure he’ll try to put on the best show, all his antics suit him well,” Topuria said. “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.”
Topuria knocked out Holloway in their UFC 308 fight in Oct. 2024 before he opted to move to lightweight last summer, where he eventually knocked out former champion Charles Oliveira to claim the second belt of his career.
Holloway then fell short against Oliveira in March, relinquishing the “BMF” title in the main event of UFC 326. Meanwhile, McGregor returns following a five-year absence amid back-to-back losses to Dustin Poirier and dropping three of his last four (his lone win coming against Donald Cerrone in Jan. 2020).
Nonetheless, Topuria seemed primed for bigger fights moving forward.
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