Ilia Topuria's "cocky" response to Patrick Bet-David heaping praise on Michael Jordan draws mixed reactions: "Every fight is life or death"

Ilia Topuria isn’t one to shy away from bold statements, and his latest remarks comparing combat sports to basketball have stirred the pot. In a recent conversation on Patrick Bet-David’s PBD Podcast, the UFC star dismissed comparisons between himself and NBA legend Michael Jordan, sparking a flurry of reactions online.

Bet-David praised Jordan’s psychological approach, particularly his ability to self-motivate by imagining slights from opponents:

“He wanted you to say something to him, and then he would convince himself that you said something really bad about him — and then he wanted to kill you.”

The Spaniard responded:

"Yeah, but…at the…At the end of the day, he was playing basketball. And I have enough of that energy that I wanna – I wanna go win and take his head off…"

Check out Ilia Topuria's reaction below:

Topuria's comments drew both support and criticism from fans. Some felt he crossed the line by downplaying Jordan’s legendary mindset, while others agreed that the stakes in MMA are fundamentally different. One user commented:

“Even though Ilia does come off as a insufferably cocky here. He's kind've right. MJ or any non-Combat sports athlete can get into the mind of someone like Ilia or a MMA fighter. These guys fight one on one, where every fight is life or death for their career.”

Another added:

“In the end though, Jordan will be discussed for decades to come.......Topuria no.”

Check out some of the fan reactions below:

Fans react to Ilia Topuria's comment on Michael Jordan. [Screenshot courtesy: X]

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Ilia Topuria vows to submit Islam Makhachev in front of Khabib Nurmagomedov

Ilia Topuria has made it clear — he’s coming for Islam Makhachev and wants to make a statement to Khabib Nurmagomedov in the process.

While a lightweight title fight between Ilia Topuria and Islam Makhachev is yet to be confirmed, the Georgian-Spanish star has been vocal about his ambitions. Speaking on the PBD Podcast, Topuria confidently claimed he holds the edge in every aspect of the fight. He even went a step further, stating he plans to submit Makhachev with his own favorite technique—whatever that may be:

“You ask me, I feel that I have the advantage in everything, this is what I truly believe. Me, personally, I would ask him, ‘What’s your favorite submission?’ Whatever, I don’t know, D’Arce choke. I’m going to submit you with that.”

He further added:

“I take him close to Khabib. I will submit him closer to Khabib. Khabib used to take people on his shoulder, take them down, and talk to Dana. I will do it to Khabib. I will take [Makhachev] and then talk to Khabib. Khabib, I have to do it.”

Check out Ilia Topuria's comments below (54:44):