Ilia Topuria responded to Cristiano Ronaldo’s skepticism about his fighting abilities, particularly after Topuria knocked out Max Holloway, by respectfully addressing Ronaldo’s comments and expressing well wishes for his career.
Ilia Topuria’s been in the ring with legends before. So, why not face another?
But it seems unlikely he’ll actually square off against his latest verbal sparring partner: Cristiano Ronaldo. Yep, the soccer legend and fight enthusiast wasn’t too optimistic about Topuria’s chances at UFC 308. In a PFL video, Ronaldo even picked Max Holloway over Topuria, claiming Topuria “speaks too much.”
Ronaldo also downplayed Topuria’s knockout of Alexander Volkanovski, suggesting Volkanovski was still reeling from a prior loss to Islam Makhachev.
“Topuria hasn’t faced the top guys,” Ronaldo remarked. “If he beats Max, then I’ll respect him… Never KO. That’s why Holloway will be tough for Topuria.”
Well, guess what? Topuria became the first to knock out Holloway! He didn’t waste time responding to Ronaldo, sharing the clip of Ronaldo’s prediction all over social media.
“I didn’t expect you to confuse confidence with arrogance,” Topuria tweeted. “In the end, we project our own realities onto others. Best wishes for what’s left of your career, and God bless your family.”
Topuria kept it respectful yet firm with the Real Madrid icon. So, this spat might be over. But if they ever meet face-to-face? Now that would be a conversation worth hearing!