Could the UFC Book Conor McGregor vs Ilia Topuria

By Tim Burke October 29, 2024 12:07

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Nobody can draw the attention of the MMA world quite like Conor McGregor. Following Ilia Topuria's victory over former Conor McGregor opponent, Max Holloway, the biggest star in MMA, gave his thoughts on the featherweight champion.

"Good little fighter. Too small for anything substantial in my opinion. He was getting chewed up there." McGregor posted on X following UFC 308.

Conor McGregor and Ilia Topuria have traded insults back and forth for months.
His negative analysis of Topuria was not surprising. Still, Topuria was not too pleased with McGregor's comments when he was told about them during an interview with ESPN.

"He's a fake. He fakes the comeback every time. He insults everyone in the UFC. He's like, I don't care about anyone. I don't respect anyone. Bro, you've been sick. You have some problems to fix in your mind, you know. You need to take classes on respect or how to treat other people. When you follow these kind of values in your life, you're going to end up really bad. Ask to god to not cross paths with me." Topuria stated in an expletive-filled interview with ESPN.

Coming off two knockout victories against Alexander Volkanovski and Max Holloway, Ilia Topuria is on top of the MMA world. He is on the verge of becoming the face of the UFC promotion. A promotion that has been searching for its next global superstar since McGregor's injury more than 3 years ago finally has one in Ilia Topuria. Could they share the Octagon in 2025?

"This guy is an absolute superstar. As I'm saying this right now, the last guy we felt this way about, Conor McGregor, tweeting 43 seconds ago, call me. Say what you will, it will 1000% be one of the biggest fights in UFC history." Ariel Helwani stated on the Ariel Helwani show on Saturday.
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Alexander Volkanovski and Max Holloway are considered to be the greatest featherweights of all time because nobody accomplished more than them in the division's history. However, there was not a more electric fighter to watch at featherweight than Conor McGregor until the arrival of Ilia Topuria.
McGregor has been teasing his return to the UFC in early 2025. Since the UFC announced that Michael Chandler will be facing Charles Olivera at UFC 309 in November, McGregor's next opponent is up in the air. Will the UFC book this fight? It is against the rules of their business strategy. McGregor's last fight was two weight classes above where Topuria is currently the champion. He has not won a fight in four years. He should not be fighting against champions until he gets some wins under his belt, whether it is for a belt or not. Still, it is hard for the UFC to be interested in this fight.
The representation of a new era vs the old era. The passing of the torch for the face of the UFC promotion, Conor McGregor vs Ilia Topuria. Will it happen? There is not a fight in the history of the UFC that would sell more than McGregor vs Topuria. Another interesting aspect of this potential matchup is that these two fighters cannot stand each other. Rivalries sell pay-per-view. Dana White and the UFC are in the business of selling tickets and selling PPVs. McGregor and Topuria would not only sell out any arena. It would sell out some of the biggest stadiums in the world.
"To send him to the moon right now, why not give him Conor at 55… A stadium in Spain, he becomes the next Conor McGregor," Kamaru Usman stated on the Pound for Pound Podcast.

Conor McGregor vs Ilia Topuria is the ultimate money fight. It seems foolish for the UFC not to pursue it from a business perspective.