Ilia Topuria Faces Fans’ Wrath After “Delusional” Claims to Topple Cristiano Ronaldo’s $130M Feat – “No Way Dana’s Paying”

There is no one as rich as the Irishman Conor McGregor as an athlete in the MMA space. But what most people aren’t aware of is that ‘The Notorious’ didn’t receive his paychecks by just fighting in the UFC. He also made his millions outside of the eight-sided cage from his business ventures. Regardless, featherweight champion Ilia Topuria believes that he might become the highest-paid athlete in 2025, solely by competing under the UFC banner.

Appearing in a Spanish podcast ‘Webpositer’, Ilia Topuria engaged in a conversation with the host, who happened to pop up the question about his financial goals for 2025. In an interesting reply, ‘El Matador’ seemed confident when he claimed that he aims to be the highest-earning athlete next year. “I can tell you I have no doubt that in 2025, I will be the highest-paid athlete in the world,” Topuria asserted.

Not only that, in a surprising claim, the UFC featherweight champion claims to even move past Al Nassr and Portugal star, the legendary Cristiano Ronaldo. ‘CR7’ has consistently been ranked as the biggest athlete when it comes to the millions of dollars he’s earned throughout his illustrious soccer career. He was touted to have earned a sum of $275 million in 2023. However, the host mentioned to the UFC fighter that Ronaldo was the top earner with $130 million. To this, Ilia Topuria added, “I’ll be there [at Cristiano Ronaldo’s level]. I have no doubt.”

There is absolutely no doubt in the 145-pound champion’s mind that it is an achievable feat. But for some reason or the other, if Ilia Topuria can’t do it, it will be a disappointment for him. “I mean, I’d be surprised if I didn’t do it. If I did, I have no doubt really,” the Georgian-Spaniard added. Despite what ‘El Matador’ seems to believe, the fans found his financial goals amusing. Let’s see what they had to say on Reddit.

Fans call out Ilia Topuria for his 2025 financial dreams

Fighter pay is an enormously serious issue in the world’s biggest MMA promotion. Countless fighters have come out to mention how tough it gets sometimes for not getting paid what they believe they should have been paid. A Reddit user shared the clip of Ilia Topuria talking about becoming the highest-paid athlete in the world and captioned it: “This is not confidence bro has delusional disorder.” Meanwhile, one fan suggested that ‘El Matador’ will have to create an insane record for most fights of the year to get to his desired financial position. He commented, “He only needs to fight 65 times in 2025 and he’s there.”

Besides, the UFC fans do not rate him as a charismatic fighter like, for example, Conor McGregor. Although he’s a good combatant, his personality is a rather quiet one. While one fan commented, “He’s definitely done some impressive things but doesn’t have the personality or star power to be the highest paid fighter,” another said, “Zero personality. Besides his fighting he is so forgettable.”

One UFC fan mentioned that even if Ilia Topuria believes in himself to earn the amount he thinks he can earn in 2025, Dana White doesn’t pay fighters like that. They even accused him of trying to impersonate Conor McGregor to an extent. The fans said, “Theres no way Dana’s paying anyone 130 million a year to fight,” and, “Just copying Conor.”

Nonetheless, certain sections of fans believe ‘El Matador’s claims could be a joke. One of them wrote, “He’s got to be trolling. They’re both smiling and it seems the interviewer is holding back laughter.” On the other hand, one fan commented, “Look… he’s a cage fighter, not a financial planner,” suggesting that Ilia Topuria should just focus on his fighting career. Despite what his financial ambitions are, Topuria has just become a champion and there will be some big-time matchups coming up soon.

What are your thoughts about Topuria’s financial ambitions? Comment down below.