At the end of October, in the main event of the UFC tournament, Ilia Topuria defeated Max Holloway, thus defending the promotion's championship title in the featherweight division.
Recently, a video appeared online that was recorded before the championship fight. In this video, Al-Nassr forward Cristiano Ronaldo was sitting with UFC legend Francis Ngannou and MMA coach Eric Nicksick.
The Portuguese expressed confidence that the Spanish fighter of Georgian descent will not win.
“I like Max, he’s a tough guy. Topuria talks too much. I think when he beat Volk (Alex Volkanovski, the previous UFC featherweight champion), Volk wasn’t prepared because of that leg kick (in his previous fight with Islam Makhachev). Topuria hasn’t fought top guys. If he beats Max, I will start respecting him,” said Ronaldo.
Topuria himself responded, expressing his disappointment in the footballer.
“I didn’t expect someone like you wouldn’t be able to distinguish confidence from arrogance. But, ultimately, we all reflect our reality onto others. I wish you all the best in what remains of your career, and may God bless your family,” Ilia wrote on social media X.