Conor McGregor may still be the underdog heading into UFC 329, but Ilia Topuria believes people are dismissing him way too early. The reigning UFC lightweight champion unexpectedly backed the Irishman to upset Max Holloway in their long-awaited rematch, even making the massive admission that he is personally rooting for that outcome since it may eventually benefit him as well.

Ilia Topuria told ESPN Deportes in Spanish that while many fans see ‘The Notorious’ as a fading star, he still considers the former double champion to be one of the sport’s greatest ever. But the blunt truth is that UFC actually won’t be making a profit from this one.

“Wow, it’s a s—- fight,” he said. “Conor, I think this is good for the sport. I personally think that he’s good for the sport because many people want to see him fight and want to see one of the real stars of the UFC. I consider Conor one of the biggest stars in the UFC.

“But it has its pros and cons. He’s on a downward slide, and the only one who really stands to gain anything from this fight isn’t UFC anymore; it’s him.”

Despite that criticism, ‘El Matador’ still expects Conor McGregor to beat Holloway.

“It’s going to be a stand-up fight, I think, purely striking,” he continued. “We’re not going to see any wrestling or ground game. Don’t think Conor’s much worse than Max. They’ll probably just go at it like two kittens, just touching hands and feeling each other out.

“I think Conor is going to win. They already fought once, and Conor won. This time around, he could beat him—he should beat him.”

The most revealing part of Ilia Topuria’s prediction came when ‘El Matador’ explained why he wanted the Irishman to win. According to the UFC lightweight king, a successful return for Conor McGregor could eventually lead to one of the biggest fights possible in the sport today.

“In fact, if you ask me who I want to win and what winner is best for me, it’s Conor,” Topuria admitted. “Because if he wins, and he takes one more fight, maybe we could end up fighting each other.”

The comments are particularly interesting given how often Ilia Topuria has been compared to ‘The Notorious’ during his rise through the UFC ranks. Despite some critics accusing Ilia Topuria of copying Conor McGregor’s swagger and confidence, a potential one-on-one between the two could easily become one of the biggest money fights the UFC could make.

Although it is unclear whether it’ll be ‘El Matador’ moving to welterweight for that fight or the other way around. But before that, ‘The Notorious’ must survive Max Holloway at UFC 329. And trust us when we tell you that this will not be a simple task at all.

‘Blessed’ is currently a strong favorite over the returning Irish superstar, thanks to his activity, cardio, and recent form. However, even he isn’t ready to count Conor McGregor out just yet.

Max Holloway refuses to underestimate Conor McGregor just like Ilia Topuria

Max Holloway is refusing to fall into the same trap. Even while the Hawaiian enters UFC 329 as the clear favorite on paper, he understands better than most how dangerous Conor McGregor can be once the cage door closes.

In fact, Max Holloway’s mindset heading into this rematch sounds surprisingly similar to Ilia Topuria’s recent statement about not writing off the Irishman completely despite his lack of activity.

For ‘Blessed,’ the threat is obvious. Conor McGregor has not fought since injuring his leg against Dustin Poirier in 2021, but the former two-division champion still possesses the knockout power and star aura that made him the most popular MMA fighter in history.

That is why the 34-year-old recently revealed on a livestream that anyone who thinks this is an easy battle is making a massive mistake.

“It’s a hard fight,” Holloway said. “Conor’s still dangerous. You’d be dumb as hell to think he’s not.”

That respect becomes even more understandable when looking at Max Holloway’s own situation. The Hawaiian is not entering this fight off some dominant win streak himself. He is also trying to recover from a heartbreaking rematch loss to Charles Oliveira at UFC 326 earlier this year—a fight that saw him lose his symbolic BMF title.

Now, Max Holloway has the opportunity to change the narrative by becoming the man who eventually avenges an old loss versus Conor McGregor, almost 13 years after their first fight in Boston.