UFC lightweight king Ilia Topuria has backed Conor McGregor to upset Max Holloway in their blockbuster rematch – but says he doesn’t expect much of a fight.
McGregor is set to make his long-awaited comeback against “Blessed” in the UFC 329 main event on July 11 (July 12 AEST) at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas.
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The former two-division champ remains the biggest star in MMA history, despite not having fought since 2021, when he suffered a horrific broken leg during his loss to Dustin Poirier.
And while Topuria believes McGregor can still get the job done against Holloway, the undefeated Spaniard wasn’t exactly talking up the fight.
“It’s a sh***y 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.
“I don’t think Conor is much worse than Max, they’ll be like two kittens touching each other.”
McGregor famously defeated Holloway via unanimous decision when they first fought in 2013, doing so despite tearing his ACL during the bout.
While Holloway has remained far more active in recent years, Topuria doesn’t believe that will make much of a difference once the cage door closes.
“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.”
Meanwhile, Aussie UFC legend Robert Whittaker suggested the move up to welterweight could favour the Irishman.
“Let’s say we see Conor of old come back — huge, muscly, 170 (pounds), feeling himself — he’s a nightmare for anyone,” Whittaker told Submission Radio.
“Seeing Max at 170, I don’t know what that is going to look like… He looked great at 155 last time, but now this is another step up.
“Conor has obviously been moving around at 170 for a while now, so I think he is much more comfortable in that weight division,” he added.
“Max’s style relies a lot on volume and speed. So how that plays at a heavier weight, we don’t know. There is a lot of unknown factors in this fight.”
Former UFC bad boy Jorge Masvidal, however, believes Holloway’s discipline outside the cage will prove decisive.
“He smokes him like a brisket,” Masvidal told the Deep Waters podcast.
“Conor lives a certain lifestyle that we’ve all seen, and you can kind of tell that it’s not for show; it’s really his lifestyle.
“Max lives a completely different lifestyle. I’ve never seen Max at a club drunk, you never seen him in the headlines for anything bad. That guy lives a different life where he’s gym, family, gym, family, gym, family.
“I think that’s gonna pay the biggest dividends. Cause you can be away from the sport for five years and come back like nothing happened, if you live that life.”
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Meanwhile, McGregor himself took to social media over the weekend insisting he is feeling better than ever ahead of his comeback.
“Thank you for all the love, support, and encouragement over the last few days, people,” McGregor wrote.
“I am feeling very energized entering intense training camp because of it!
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“I am very grateful for the team I have around me. My coaches and training partners, we are all fully tuned in for the challenge at hand and it is a glorious time in our gym!
“I am better than ever, and I relish the opportunity to once again show my mastery in martial arts to the world.”