It does seem like Conor McGregor traced his way back to the featherweight division as he took jabs at Ilia Topuria. The duo have been going off about each other on social media for a few days now. But the world of mixed martial arts was left gasping as the ‘Mystic Mac’ dismissed Topuria’s moniker to give him a new one.

McGregor is notorious for his barrage of callouts, and that’s exactly what happened when in an interview, he dismissed Topuria’s Spanish nationality- “Say I would bet on Topuria, but he is not Spanish; he is Georgian. Let’s be real, I’m Spanish. Ilia Topuria is a Georgian man undercover; he is operating undercover.” 

dasAnd that could have been the end of it, but it’s McGregor in question and hence it was followed by claims like “F— him, this isn’t his home country, this is my home country baby. Marbella, Spain – where’s he at?! This ain’t his home country, he knows where his home country is and it’s not Espana so good luck Max Holloway – f— him up!” This was indeed a hint at the Bare Knuckle Fighting Championship landing in Marbella, Spain. 

And in his latest dig, taking to X, the former UFC double champion attacked the Spaniard and wrote, “Little puppy paws he has. Check the little puppy paws on him. He is Spanish is he? Has he a fight nickname, this guy? I now christen him “The Puppy”. So, once again, the Irishman dragged Topuria’s nationality into the social media scuffle. 

Now, in another tweet, the Irish mixed martial artist pointed out that Georgia doesn’t really have Matadors, and hence urged the fighting community to accept the new moniker he had for Topuria. Conor McGregor wrote, “Georgia does not have bullfighting. His prior nickname is terminated. He is now “The Puppy” Which is a good name, everybody likes puppies.”

Needless to say, the featherweight champion didn’t back away from all the disrespect. ‘El Matador’ confidently claimed that he could have easily defeated the ‘Mystic Mac’ during his prime. After all, Ilia Topuria boasts an undefeated record of 15 wins and absolutely no losses. But what else did the Spaniard have to say to McGregor? Let’s find out!

Ilia Topuria fires back at Conor McGregor giving rise to a new rivalry in the UFC

Topuria was pretty confident in his skills. No wonder, he likes to dictate the fight inside the MMA cage. This confidence made him think that he could take on McGregor and rise victorious. He said, “MMA has evolved. He was really good in the stand-up, but on the ground, he was always terrible. I’d beat him in his prime, at any time… wherever, whenever, it’s not a competition. Let him keep drinking whiskey.”

And Topuria wasn’t wrong. McGregor’s fighting style focused more on the striking part of the game. Of course, strikers often face trouble when they’re pitted against fighters who are good at grappling. With Topuria’s 5 submission wins, McGregor will indeed be at risk, in case the two ever square off against each other in an MMA cage. 

Nevertheless, as McGregor lands in Marbella for an exciting BKFC event, the fighting community lies in the hope that he doesn’t have a confrontation with Topuria. Who do you think would win if the two ever fought each other? What are your thoughts on the nickname McGregor had for Topuria? Let us know what you think in the comments down below.