Featherweight champion Ilia Topuria successfully defended his belt in a historic bout against veteran Max Holloway at UFC 308 and immediately did what anyone in his position would do. Take a rematch with Alexander Volkanovski, yes? Drop the tough guy act for a minute and be nice? Also yes. But more importantly, he looked at Dana White giving him a $50k bonus and decided it was chump change for the show he just put on.
In a showdown that had fans on the edge of their seats, Topuria not only claimed victory but did so in a spectacular fashion by becoming the first fighter to knock out Holloway.
The Spaniard, who was rightfully hoping for a bit more after arguably becoming the fighter of the year, surpassing light heavyweight champion Alex Pereira. Pereira’s three title defenses in 175 days do make a compelling argument in his favor but given that Topuria destroyed two featherweight legends in Volkanovski and Holloway, a zero or two to the $50k bonus could be warranted.
That’s not White’s style though. Fair wages for fighters are of course, only reserved for boxing and other MMA promotions.
The Spaniard seemed visibly disappointed with the payoff for having put down a beating on one of the greatest of all time, and with the most diplomatic face he could put on, pinned his hopes on the UFC president for a reconsideration.
“Is it only 50 grand? I knocked out Max Holloway and Dana only give me 50k? I hope they give me a little bit more. I am going to put my hopes in Dana.”
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The Spaniard then diverted his attention to the man with the second most Dana White privilege, former featherweight and lightweight champ and current, gambling aficionado, Conor McGregor.
Following his win over the weekend, McGregor, who had bet on Holloway to get the job done,—though inactive since 2021—started calling himself the true featherweight king.
The Irishman hasn’t been active in the UFC since 2021 and last fought at featherweight against Jose Aldo in 2015.
Responding to the Irishman, Topuria called McGregor “fake” and advised him to “learn some respect” in an interview with ESPN.
El Matador also threatened the Irishman to steer clear or risk getting gored.
Topuria vs. McGregor: Make UFC Great Again
The first time UFC had a legit mainstream star, she got beat by Holy Holmes and then by Amanda Nunes and went to WWE. That was Ronda Rousey.
Around the same time, the promotion stumbled upon the fighting Irish, who would go on to win titles in two divisions, go on to box Floyd Mayweather, and then punch old people in bars and hold up one of the most promising lightweight fighter’s (Michael Chandler) career for 2 straight years.
With McGregor cleared off the chess board, the company has struggled to find a star that could take the sport further ahead. There has been a visible stagnancy in the Dana White-led promotion.
Since McGregor’s sketchy attendance in the octagon, the promotion, and the fighters themselves have tried to follow in his flawed template without having the charisma to pull it off.
From Sean Strickland to Colby Covington, many have talked personal trash, even taking it a few steps too far without the 13-second KOs to back it up.
Covington’s wrestling-heavy style should statistically win him fights but he’s lost every last of the three title fights he’s been on. Strickland, on the other hand only fights like he talks during sparring sessions with amateurs.
Enter Ilia Topuria. The Spaniard might have grown up idolizing McGregor, with the tattoos and the trash talk but he has been backing it up. He’s won the featherweight title and has already defeated legends of the sport in spectacular fashion and is even angling for a lightweight title fight with a Dagestani champion, Islam Mahachev.
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But there’s some time before that can happen. McGregor too, has nothing much going on, other than waiting for Chandler to get done with Charles Oliveira.
But a fight between the Irishman and the Spaniard; that is something people will tune in for. Put the title on the line, bring the millions of eyes that surround every McGregor fight, and what’s better is that Topuria will make so much money, he won’t even have to complain about $50k bonuses!
The two already don’t like each other and have been constantly beefing. Make them fight, if McGregor wins, great. You have the most famous MMA fighter in history with UFC gold! That’s another PPV gate record McGregor would have checked off of bucket list before his swan song.
And if Topuria wins, that will be the passing of the torch moment. McGregor doesn’t need to fight and having lost all three of his last bouts, he could call it a day, bid his farewell with his head still held high.
The company will have had a new face, in a champion who’s only 27 and had at least good 6-7 years of money-drawing years left in him, something the current perceived face, light heavyweight champion Alex Pereira at 38 simply doesn’t have!
