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UFC 298’s Illia Topuria wants to fight Conor McGregor
Ilia Topuria goes into UFC 298 hoping to win the UFC featherweight title from long time champ Alexander Volkanovski. The Georgian-Spanish fighter has seen his star rise exponentially lately off of the back of his exciting wins over Josh Emmett and Bryce Mitchell.
The 27-year-old has become a household name in Spain. And it seems like he wants to maximize on this fame while he can. He told reporters this week that he is desperate to fight at the Santiago Bernabeu, the stadium that is home to Real Madrid. That venue seats around 85,000 people.
Speaking at the UFC 298 press conference, Topuria said he wants to face former featherweight champion Conor McGregor at the Bernabeu.
“If it was my decision, I’d fight Conor McGregor,” Topuria said. “That would be the fight I’d aim for. And that’s what I aim for.”
And why wouldn’t he want to fight McGregor?
Topuria vs. McGregor might sell out one of the world’s most famous soccer stadiums. But it would be a farce of a contest. It would also be impossible, unless Topuria wants to pack on the pounds and meet McGregor at middleweight.
McGregor, whose beefed up bod is currently on display in Roadhouse, hasn’t featured in the UFC since he snapped his leg opposite Dustin Poirier in 2021. The UFC tried to trick us into thinking he was coming back to fight Michael Chandler, but now they even seem tired of that rouse.
Obviously, Topuria vs. McGregor is never going to happen. It’s also unlikely that Topuria fights anyone at the Bernabeu. McGregor couldn’t convince the UFC to book Croke Park, while at the height of his powers. So it’s unlikely Topuria can convince the Unimaginative Fighting Championship to roll into the house that Di Stefano built.
Topuria is actually fighting Alexander Volkanovski
In addition to talking about fights that are never going to happen, Topuria did touch on his UFC 298 opponent during his press conference.
Alexander Volkanovski is one of the greatest featherweights of all time and has beat up everyone he’s faced who is not named Islam Makhachev. Volkanovski’s triumphs have come over Max Holloway, Brian Ortega, Yair Rodriguez and Jose Aldo, to name a few.
Topuria, who started 2022 with a win over Jai Herbet, said he respected what Volkanovski had done in the division.
“Oh yeah, he’s going to stay in the featherweight book for a while, that’s for sure,” he said. “He will be remembered as one of the greatest in the featherweight division. He was a great champion.”
Note the use of the past tense there. Topuria also said he sees himself knocking Volkanovski out in the first round.
It’s good to be confident, I guess.