Ilia Topuria, also known as “El Matador,” has offered his perspective on the highly anticipated rematch between Conor McGregor and Max Holloway, scheduled for July 11. Topuria anticipates a pure striking exchange between the two fighters, humorously suggesting they will “hit each other like two kittens.”
In a recent interview, Topuria acknowledged McGregor’s significant impact on the sport and his status as a major UFC star, though he also noted that McGregor is likely in the later stages of his career. Despite this, Topuria believes McGregor has the capability to defeat Holloway once again, just as he did in their previous encounter.
Furthermore, Topuria expressed a personal preference for McGregor to win this comeback fight. He revealed that a McGregor victory would align with his own career aspirations, as it could potentially lead to a high-profile fight between himself and McGregor before McGregor retires.
“I think Conor is going to win,” Topuria stated. “As they fought once; he got it, and this time he can beat him. He must beat him. In fact, I believe that if you were to ask me who I want to win, the one that suits me best to win is Conor because if he wins and then he has one more fight, we could end up having that fight.”
Topuria himself is slated to face Justin Gaethje on June 14. Following this lightweight title unification bout, “El Matador” has expressed his intention to move up to the welterweight division, with a potential fight against Islam Makhachev in his sights.