UFC Champ Says Conor McGregor Not Significant Enough to Fight

UFC featherweight champion Ilia Topuria makes a bold claim about fighting Conor McGregor.

Topuria (Patricia J. Garcinuno/Getty Images)

If any UFC champion can lay claim to Conor McGregor-level stardom in the future, it's Ilia Topuria.

Putting his name on the map with a vicious knockout over then-champion Alexander Volkanovski at UFC 298, Topuria is slowly rising to fame. As a Georgian-Spaniard, 'El Matador' has the backing of some of the world's most fiercely supportive MMA fans. One can only imagine the scale of a Topuria-McGregor matchup, especially now the Irish star is without an immediate opponent.

Gary A. Vasquez-Imagn Images

Topuria: There Are Bigger Fights Than McGregor

Topuria has other plans, though, and has recently gone on record saying he'd pass up on a McGregor fight if it were offered to him right now.

"Right now I'm telling you that if they offered me a fight with him [McGregor], I'd say no," Topuria told Ibai Llanos on September 24. "Because there are bigger fights than him. ... He's not the McGregor that moved the masses; he's a McGregor who represents alcohol and drugs more than sport."

This is a stark change of opinion for Topuria, who boldly called out McGregor after winning the title at UFC 298. Perhaps the perpetual delays and collective fan lethargy surrounding McGregor's return have changed his mind.

Read More UFC & MMA News

• Tom Aspinall Names Next Fight if Jon Jones & Miocic Retire at UFC 309
  
  
• UFC Paris Moicano vs. Saint-Denis Full Fight Card Predictions
  
  
• Daniel Dubois Roasts Anthony Joshua for Special Treatment at Wembley Stadium
• Daniel Cormier Outraged by Ex-UFC Champ's Praise for Jon Jones
  
  
  
  

Stick with MMAKnockout for more FREE coverage of the UFC, MMA, Boxing, WWE, and AEW. Follow MMAKnockout on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.