"Conor, Islam, Khabib, Mayweather, Ali, Messi" - Undefeated UFC star takes hilarious jibe at Ilia Topuria for allegedly avoiding him

Newly-crowned UFC featherweight champion Ilia Topuria received the first challenge from within his division from a top-ranked contender.

Topuria has named multiple fighters as potential opponents including former double champ Conor McGregor and UFC Hall of Famer Khabib Nurmagomedov. In an excerpt from his interview, he explained his reasoning for wanting a matchup against 'The Eagle':

“My dream rival… [Who do you really want to fight with?] I would be happy to enter the octagon with Khabib Nurmagomedov. [Why with him?] He has an undefeated record at 29-0 and he has an attractive record for me, then also history, he is a worthy and honorable champion for me. [Do you think you could defeat him?] 100%.”

Check out Ilia Topuria's comments in the clip from his interview below:

No. 5 ranked contender Movsar Evloev quoted Topuria's answer on X (formerly Twitter) and called him out for challenging everyone but contenders from his own division. Evloev also referenced his own unbeaten record of 18-0 in his professional career, posting on X:

"Conor, Islam, Khabib, Mayweather, Muhammad Ali, Messi… Who else do you want to fight rather than the only undefeated fighter in your division? @Topuriailia"

Evloev has amassed eight wins in his UFC career in a very short period. The Russian fighter made his debut in 2019 against Choi Seung-woo and simultaneously made his return to the featherweight division, and hasn't looked back ever since. His notable wins include victories against ranked contenders like Arnold Allen and Dan Ige.

Check out Movsar Evloev's post below on X:

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Ilia Topuria issues open-weight challenge to Conor McGregor: 'He can choose the weight'

Immediately after his victory, Ilia Topuria called out Conor McGregor in his octagon interview. He declared that he would be waiting for 'The Notorious' to face him in Spain.

McGregor is expected to make his much-awaited return to action this year against Michael Chandler, as per his own statements. However, with the lack of an official confirmation from the UFC, the Irishman does not have a return date or opponent yet.

Ilia Topuria doubled down on his challenge at a press conference and challenged McGregor to fight him at a weight of his own choice.

“Who said that I wanna fight him at 145? Without any weight limit. There is no weight if I fight him. He can choose it. I give him that option. If he feels that he’s ready for this level of competition, he can choose the weight. I choose the place," he said.

Check out Ilia Topuria's call-out to Conor McGregor below: