Ilia Topuria, the reigning UFC Featherweight Champion, hit back at Portuguese footballing superstar Cristiano Ronaldo for criticising him despite beating Alexander Volkanovski for the championship at UFC 298 earlier this year in Anaheim, California, the USA. The response from the Georgian-Spanish fighter came after he managed to successfully defend his UFC Featherweight Championship against Max Holloway at the UFC 308 in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, last month.
During a sit-down chat with Francis Ngannou and his coach Eric Nicksick, the Al-Nassr player spoke about how Ilia Topuria needed to get the better of the top-tier opponents while discarding his win over Alexander Volkanovski on February 17, 2024. Shortly after their meeting, Cristiano Ronaldo watched Francis Ngannou win the PFL Heavyweight Championship after knocking out Renan Ferreria in the first round on October 19.
Ilia Topuria hit back at Cristiano Ronaldo after beating Max Holloway at UFC 308
The comments from Cristiano Ronaldo about Ilia Topuria came before the latter’s scheduled main event title defence against Max Holloway at UFC 308 in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia on October 26. He was quoted as saying, “[Ilia Topuria] speaks too much… I think when he [beat] Volk [Alexander Volkanovski], Volk wasn’t ready because of that kick… [Ilia Topuria] didn’t fight with the top guys. If he beats Max, I will respect [him].”
Because of his latest win over Max Holloway inside the octagon, Ilia Topuria managed to silence the doubters in style while defending his championship title. He also took to his official X account to quote a post, in which Cristiano Ronaldo criticised him, and wrote, “I didn’t expect someone like you to be unable to distinguish between confidence and arrogance. But, at the end of the day, we all reflect our own reality onto others. I wish you the best for what remains of your career, and God bless your family.”
Moreover, it will be interesting to see whether Cristiano Ronaldo will continue to have respect for Ilia Topuria after the latter defeated Max Holloway since the UFC fighter was quite stern in his comments against him.