Ilia Topuria on McGregor’s Fight

Ilia Topuria did not try to sell Conor McGregor vs Max Holloway 2 as a dream fight.

His reaction was sharp, almost careless. The UFC lightweight champion said he expects McGregor to win at UFC 329, even though he also threw a hard line at the matchup itself. He called it a “sh*tty fight,” then moved straight into the part people will repeat: he still sees McGregor beating Holloway.

That is the kind of answer Topuria gives when he does not feel the need to please anyone. He is not promoting the card. He is not protecting Holloway. He is not pretending McGregor has looked active or sharp in recent years. He simply looked at the fight and picked the man who already beat Holloway once.

The rematch is set for July 11 in Las Vegas. McGregor has not fought since the Dustin Poirier trilogy in 2021, so the question is not only whether he can beat Holloway again. The real question is how much of his timing, balance and old danger survived the long break.

Holloway has the fresher work

Holloway has the cleaner recent case.

He stayed in the cage while McGregor stayed out of it. He kept taking hard fights, kept working through elite opponents and kept giving fans proof that he could still live in high-pressure rounds. That matters. Five years away from MMA is not a small gap, especially against someone who can drown opponents with pace.

Holloway is not the young fighter McGregor beat in 2013. He became a UFC champion, collected big wins, survived brutal nights and built one of the strongest resumes in featherweight history. He also picked up the BMF title and kept his name close to the biggest fights available.

But Holloway also carries the damage of that career. Topuria knows that better than most. He knocked Holloway out at UFC 308, giving him the first knockout loss of his career. When Topuria talks about Holloway now, he is not speaking from a distance. He has already shared the cage with him and finished the job.

• Ilia Topuria expects Conor McGregor to beat Max Holloway at UFC 329.
• He criticized the matchup and called it a “sh*tty fight.”
• McGregor defeated Holloway by decision in their first meeting in 2013.
• McGregor is returning after a long layoff that began after UFC 264.
• Holloway has been far more active against elite opposition.
• Topuria did not shut down the idea of facing McGregor in the future.

McGregor needs the first window

If McGregor is going to win, the early rounds feel like the cleanest path.

His best version was built around distance, timing and one left hand that opponents felt before they fully understood the range. He did not need long exchanges to take over. He needed a read, a step, and one clean opening.

That version of McGregor changed careers. The hard part is knowing whether that version still exists after the layoff, the injury and the years away from real fight speed.

Holloway’s job is different. He has to make McGregor work. He has to stretch the fight past the first wave, add volume, keep the feet moving and force McGregor to answer again and again. The longer Holloway gets comfortable, the harder the night should become for the returning star.

Topuria keeps McGregor in reach

Topuria also left himself close to the McGregor conversation without turning it into a full callout.

He has Justin Gaethje first. That fight is dangerous enough on its own, and Topuria knows better than to act like the next step is already secured. Gaethje can still ruin plans with leg kicks, pressure and one ugly exchange.

But Topuria understands the size of McGregor’s name. If McGregor beats Holloway and then wins again, the idea becomes very easy for UFC to push. Topuria would have the belt, the unbeaten record, the Holloway knockout and a public history of trading words with McGregor.

That is why this small prediction made so much noise. Topuria did not give fans a long speech. He gave them a clean pick, a brutal insult and a future door left slightly open.

Now UFC 329 has another argument around it. Holloway has the recent form. McGregor has the old win and the bigger shadow. Topuria has already chosen his side, and if McGregor proves him right, the conversation may move toward him next.