"He'd be down in a heartbeat" - Fans blast Ilia Topuria for "lying" about Conor McGregor fight aspirations amid latter's court case debacle

Ilia Topuria has addressed a potential fight between himself and Conor McGregor. The reigning UFC featherweight champion alluded to the legal challenges McGregor has lately faced and suggested that he's currently uninterested in fighting the Irishman. Fight fans chimed in with their reactions to Topuria's comments.

Over the past few months, the Georgian-Spaniard has traded several barbs with McGregor on social media. Topuria went from being the MMA legend's appreciator to one of his most vocal critics.

McGregor, who hasn't competed in any professional combat sports contest since July 2021, has faced considerable legal issues this year. Dublin hairdresser Nikita Hand (aka Nikita Ni Laimhin) accused McGregor and his friend James Lawrence of sexually assaulting her at the city's Beacon Hotel. The alleged incident transpired on Dec. 9, 2018.

The case reportedly couldn't proceed in a criminal court, owing to a lack of evidence. In Nov. 2024, James Lawrence was found not guilty. Meanwhile, a civil court deemed McGregor liable for assault and ordered him to pay around over $250k in damages to Hand. In Dec. 2024, Justice Alexander Owens of the High Court deemed that McGregor must pay Hand over $1.5 million to cover her legal costs.

On Chiringuito Inside's El Cafelito, Ilia Topuria recently claimed that he wouldn't want to compete against Conor McGregor right now, given his legal troubles:

"It interested me, but it doesn't anymore. He's going through very serious personal problems. I have no desire to share the octagon with someone like that."

Fans soon weighed in. Many took to the aforementioned Instagram post's comments section, lambasting Ilia Topuria for supposedly copying Conor McGregor:

"[*clown emoji]: I'm not interested! But copy him, call him out, tweet about him every week [*face with tears of joy emoji]"

Another commenter wrote:

"Bruh he good without you tho [*face with tears of joy emoji]"

Alternatively, some fans hailed Topuria for his stance against McGregor:

"I respect that"

One observer highlighted that Topuria would have to oblige if UFC CEO and president Dana White books that fight:

"He won't have a choice if DANA WHITE sets the fight."

Moreover, several others emphasized that Topuria would fight McGregor, as the latter's the biggest box office draw in combat sports. One fan wrote:

"Ilia is a stand-up guy, but he's lying here. He'd fight McGregor in a heartbeat"

Watch Topuria's interview below:

Check out the screenshots of a few reactions below:

Screenshots of reactions

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Ilia Topuria acknowledges idolizing Conor McGregor, underlines change in his opinion of 'The Notorious'

Earlier this year, during an appearance on El Reto de MrBeast, Ilia Topuria implied that though he was once intrigued by the possibility of facing Conor McGregor, that showdown isn't what it once was:

"He is a McGregor who represents alcohol and drugs more than the sport."

Ilia Topuria spoke about being inspired by Conor McGregor, who succeeded through qualities like faith, hard work, and perseverance. He accused McGregor of betraying those values.

Topuria has lately expressed interest in fighting UFC lightweight champion Islam Makhachev, who seemingly has other plans. Meanwhile, McGregor has planned to appeal the court's verdict against him. During the recent UFC 310 post-fight press conference, Dana White reaffirmed that McGregor could likely return to the octagon sometime in 2025.

Watch Topuria's assessment below (13:11):