Ilia Topuria declined to choose a favorite in a hypothetical fight between Max Holloway and Conor McGregor. Topuria stated that when you lose to Nate Diaz, it becomes very difficult to make predictions about future fights. His comment appeared to reference McGregor's 2016 submission loss to Diaz at UFC 196. The statement suggests Topuria views McGregor's past performance as complicating any assessment of how he would fare against Holloway. No details about whether this fight is actually being discussed were provided in the post.
Ilia Topuria declined to name a winner in a hypothetical matchup between Max Holloway and Conor McGregor, offering instead a pointed remark that cast doubt on McGregor's standing as a measurable quantity in the sport.
Speaking publicly, the lightweight contender suggested that McGregor's 2016 submission loss to Nate Diaz at UFC 196 makes it very difficult to offer predictions about how he would perform in any future contest. The comment stopped short of a direct prediction but carried a clear implication about how Topuria weighs McGregor's credentials.
Topuria, 29, carries a 17-1-0 record and currently sits second in the lightweight division while holding the number-one spot in the pound-for-pound rankings. The Spanish fighter operates out of an orthodox stance at five-foot-seven with a sixty-nine-inch reach, and his numbers reflect a well-rounded game: nearly two takedowns per fifteen minutes and 1.1 submission attempts in the same window.
Holloway, the American ranked fourth at lightweight and ninth pound-for-pound, brings a 27-9-0 record into his thirty-fourth year. He lands an exceptional 7.2 significant strikes per minute at forty-eight percent accuracy, making him one of the highest-volume strikers in the division.
Diaz, the fighter whose name anchored Topuria's comment, owns a 22-13-0 record. The forty-one-year-old southpaw carries a seventy-six-inch reach — 193 centimeters — and averages 1.3 submission attempts per fifteen minutes, a reminder of the finishing threat he posed when he stopped McGregor in the second round a decade ago.
Why it matters
- Topuria's comments add a notable voice to any conversation around McGregor's lightweight relevance heading into 2026
- Holloway's elite striking volume makes any hypothetical pairing with McGregor a genuine stylistic question
- The remark keeps Topuria, the division's top-ranked pound-for-pound fighter, at the center of the lightweight narrative without committing to a direct stance
