Ilia Topuria picks Conor McGregor to beat Max Holloway in ‘sh*tty fight’ at UFC 329

Ilia Topuria, the UFC's lightweight champion, has offered a frank assessment of Conor McGregor's highly anticipated return fight, dismissing the matchup as uninspiring despite acknowledging its commercial significance.

McGregor is set to compete at UFC 329 in what marks his return to the octagon following a five-year absence from competition. His opponent will be Max Holloway in the main event, a bout scheduled to anchor the promotion's International Fight Week festivities. Given McGregor's status as one of the UFC's biggest stars, the event is expected to draw substantial viewership and generate significant revenue for the organization.

Topuria, however, expressed skepticism about the sporting merit of the contest. "It's a shitty fight," Topuria told ESPN Deportes, before moderating his stance somewhat by acknowledging that McGregor's star power provides undeniable benefits to the sport broadly. He noted that while McGregor remains one of the UFC's most recognizable figures, the former champion is declining athletically, and the primary beneficiary of his return would be McGregor himself rather than the promotion.

Despite his reservations about the fight's quality, Topuria predicted McGregor would make a compelling spectacle given his flair for entertainment and striking-focused approach. The comment reflects a common perspective among current top UFC contenders: that McGregor's return, while commercially appealing, represents a nostalgia booking rather than a meaningful competitive test for either fighter involved.