MMA analyst shares bitter truth on why Ilia Topuria is not a PPV star like Conor McGregor
Ilia Topuria has not entered the octagon since last October when he defeated Max Holloway via third-round knockout at UFC 308 to defend his featherweight title for the first time. While he was widely expected to face Alexander Volkanovski in a rematch of their UFC 298 clash, 'El Matador' shocked fans by vacating the title to make the jump to the lightweight division.
Although he has drawn many comparisons to Conor McGregor, Luke Thomas does not believe he has the same pay-per-view appeal as the former double champ. Speaking on his podcast, Luke Thomas Live Chats: A Combat Sports Podcast and More, the mixed martial arts analyst responded to a question, stating:
"This is not even the least bit surprising. Nothing about this is surprising. Nothing. Zero. Zip. Guys, it takes a while to become a pay-per-view star. A while. It doesn't happen very quickly. You might say, 'I've seen cases where it did happen quickly'. It happened pretty quickly for Ronda Rousey, generally speaking. It happened very quickly for Conor, but these are the exceptions that prove the rule."
Thomas continued:
"It took [Georges] St-Pierre some time to become a big pay-per-view star. It took Anderson Silva a long a** time to become a pay-per-view star. Like, a really long time. It wasn't until he was deep into his run where that really began to show up in a pretty consistent and extraordinary way. And now, you're living in a time where pay-per-view isn't even the same kind of automatic purchase that it once was as a general consumer proposition."
Check out Luke Thomas' comments on Ilia Topuria below (19:01):
Thomas noted that Topuria has only had two big fights in his UFC career, one of which wasn't even in the United States. He claimed that fighting in New York is important, as it allows fighters to do interviews with major media outlets. The analyst suggested that it is no surprise 'El Matador' is not a pay-per-view star due to the fact he has only headlined one pay-per-view in the United States and does not fight frequently.
Ilia Topuria sends Charles Oliveira a message: "I am the one in charge"
Ilia Topuria has not been shy about his desire to challenge Islam Makhachev for the lightweight title. After Charles Oliveira also called for a title opportunity, 'El Matador' called out the No. 2-ranked lightweight on X, posting:
"Charles, it's better if you stay quiet. You have 10 losses: five by knockout, four by submission, and one by decision. You are the contender, while I am the champion, the father of the entire division. I haven't come here to ask anything. Here, I am the one in charge."
Check out Ilia Topuria's message to Charles Oliveira below:
It is unclear who will receive the next opportunity to challenge Makhachev. In addition to Topuria and Oliveira, Arman Tsarukyan and Justin Gaethje are also in the mix for a title shot.