UFC featherweight champion Ilia Topuria has responded to claims Cristiano Ronaldo made ahead of the Spaniard’s title defence at UFC 308.
Topuria, 27, retained his title through a third-round knock-out against Max Holloway on October 26.
‘El Matador’ is a Real Madrid supporter and was unveiled on the pitch at half-time of a La Liga fixture against Sevilla in February 2024 – he showed off his shiny new UFC belt to the applause of the packed-out Santiago Bernabeu.
However, ahead of his fight with Holloway, Madrid’s all-time leading goal scorer Cristiano Ronaldo did not back Topuria to win - even explaining how he felt that Topuria spoke too much.
Advert
“[Topuria] speaks too much… I think when he [beat] Volk [Alexander Volkanovski], Volk wasn’t [ready] because of that kick… [Topuria] didn’t fight with the top guys,” he told former UFC heavyweight champion Francis Ngannou when speaking with PFL.
“If he beats Max, I will respect [him].”
However, the Spanish fighter has now hit back at Ronaldo with a strongly worded quote tweet through his official X account.
"I didn't expect someone like you to be unable to distinguish between confidence and arrogance,” wrote Topuria.
“But, at the end of the day, we all reflect our reality onto others. I wish you the best for what remains of your career, and God bless your family."
Fans were left stunned by Topuria’s tweet and could not help but give their opinion on the feud between the pair.
One said: “What did he say wrong about you? He just expressed his opinion what's wrong in that?”
Another defended Topuria by adding: “Ilia, don’t worry about him. His career is finished. There is nothing left.”
With a third saying: “When the most famous athlete in the world is mentioning you like that, you know you doing well.”
A fourth tried to make light of the situation, they said: “He was praising you, and he said if you win, it would be great for you, he didn’t mean any disrespect or offence.”
Of course, given the fact Ronaldo is now playing in Saudi Arabia for Al-Nassr, the pair will likely cross paths again - with UFC also set to grow their brand in the Middle East in the coming years.
Whether this was a misunderstanding is still unclear, but it will certainly be interesting to see how the pair react when they are next at the same event.
Topics: UFC, Cristiano Ronaldo, Real Madrid, Max Holloway, La Liga, Al Nassr
Luke Davies