Ilia Topuria, the UFC featherweight champion, is known for his love of tattoos, proudly sporting several himself. In a recent interview, he was asked to rate the ink of fellow UFC fighters, and while he actually praised Max Holloway’s wings, and dissed Sean O’Malley’s ink, the Spaniard completely dismissed the idea of even rating Conor McGregor’s tattoos, saying, “F*ck him.”
True to his no-nonsense persona, Topuria’s blunt honesty and sharp critiques left no room for politeness as he shared his candid opinions on the body art of his peers. ‘El Matador’ ahead of his first title defense sat down with ‘Shak MMA’ for an interview and ripped pretty much everybody a new one.
“(Holloway) Actually I like them. It’s like maybe a four. (Emmett) I don’t like that kind of tattoo so I have to tell you one because I do not like the colours. (O’Malley) Disgusting, disgusting and with that body even more, that looks disgusting. (McGregor) f**k him. Because I do not like him.”
McGregor’s war of words with Ilia Topuria actually heated up this past week. While promoting his BKFC event in Marbella, McGregor took shots at the featherweight champion, claiming that he wasn’t even really Spanish.
McGregor then backed Holloway, “F*ck him. This isn’t his home country, it’s mine”.
Topuria has since been in a war of words with both Holloway and McGregor.
Topuria sends a scathing message to Holloway
UFC 308 is gearing up for an explosive main event, as Topuria prepares to defend his featherweight title against Max Holloway in Abu Dhabi. The Spaniard, who knocked out Alexander Volkanovski earlier this year to claim the belt, has made it clear he’s not messing around.
In fact, he’s promised to take Holloway’s “head off” in the first 10 seconds of the fight, challenging the former champ to stand and trade with him.
Holloway, fresh off a buzzer-beating knockout of Justin Gaethje, aims to reclaim the featherweight title he once held. But Topuria believes Holloway has been dodging him and isn’t ready for the challenge.
Despite the hype around Holloway’s last fight, Topuria claims he wasn’t impressed, saying, “I didn’t see any technique behind that knockout”.
With both fighters having something to prove, UFC 308 promises to be a wild showdown that might not last long if Topuria has his way.