{"id":624090,"date":"2026-04-22T18:37:14","date_gmt":"2026-04-22T18:37:14","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/624090\/"},"modified":"2026-04-22T18:37:14","modified_gmt":"2026-04-22T18:37:14","slug":"ilia-topuria-talks-prediction-for-conor-mcgregors-next-ufc-fight","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/624090\/","title":{"rendered":"Ilia Topuria Talks Prediction For Conor McGregor\u2019s Next UFC Fight"},"content":{"rendered":"

UFC Lightweight Champion Ilia Topuria is unsure of Conor McGregor’s next move as a near-five-year return to the Octagon looms, with a potential summer timeline on the horizon.<\/a><\/p>\n

Topuria, who is headlining UFC Freedom 250 against Justin Gaethje in a unification bout Sunday, June 14, in Washington D.C., was recently asked about whether a McGregor return would interest him enough for the pair to fight each other down the line.<\/p>\n

Simply put, Topuria told Uncrowned Combat’s Ariel Helwani<\/a> that if the stars aligned, he would fight McGregor.<\/p>\n

“It’s not on my radar, but if I get offered that fight, we’ll see where Conor is going to be at that point,” Topuria said. “If he gets a win, a great comeback, he wins his next fight and I get offered that fight, we’ll see. I never close the door for those kinds of opportunities, even if we are not on the same level right now.”<\/p>\n

But first, though, Topuria is focused on beating Gaethje before a potential mega-fight with UFC Welterweight Champion Islam Makhachev comes to fruition.<\/p>\n

Should McGregor return, a fight that would make sense is a rematch against ex-rival Max Holloway, <\/a>which Topuria predicted.<\/p>\n

Is McGregor-Holloway 2 Possible?\"McGregor<\/p>\n

Aug 17, 2013; Boston, MA, USA; Conor McGregor (black shorts) and Max Holloway (white shorts) fight during a UFC featherweight match at the TD Garden. McGregor won after three rounds by judges decision. Mandatory Credit: Winslow Townson-Imagn Images | Winslow Townson-Imagn Images<\/p>\n

“You never know,” Topuria said of the fight. “I thought that Max was going to beat Charles and he lost by complete domination. So I don’t know, with Conor you never know. You never know.”<\/p>\n

The pair fought each other in Aug. 2013, with McGregor winning a unanimous decision over the eventual UFC Featherweight Champion. Both have had their own storied careers, with McGregor becoming a two-weight world champion while Holloway essentially beat everyone and anyone outside the likes of Charles Oliveira, Dusin Poirier, Alexander Volkanovski, and Topuria over the last decade-plus.<\/p>\n

Meanwhile, McGregor has been anything but active. A pinky toe injury canceled his fight<\/a> with Michael Chandler in June 2024, but the fight never materialized again as the UFC went in a different direction with Chandler altogether.<\/p>\n

Chandler will now share the UFC White House event with Topuria, returning to the Octagon against Mauricio Ruffy as part of the seven-fight card.<\/a><\/p>\n

Conor McGregor’s Return Timeline Unknown\"Conor<\/p>\n

Jeff Bottari-Zuffa LLC<\/p>\n

It appears the UFC is still waiting to announce McGregor’s comeback fight, one that has been long-awaited since a leg injury sustained in July 2021 against Poirier in their trilogy fight. It should be noted that it has been a little over six years since McGregor had his hand raised, making the return to the Octagon even more pressure-filled.<\/p>\n

We’ll see how this next chapter of the McGregor saga plays out.<\/p>\n

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