"Pinky toe! Welcome to my home" - Ilia Topuria claps back at Conor McGregor's "slap the head off him" jibe
After months of trying to get Conor McGregor's attention, Ilia Topuria finally got a response from 'The Notorious.' The UFC superstar was in Spain for a BKFC promotional event, a company that he recently became a part-owner of.
McGregor was asked by reporters following the promotional BKFC 67 press conference about Topuria, the first UFC champion from Spain. The Irishman, who has been called out by 'El Matador' for a while, said he would "slap him back to Georgia," Topuria's country of origin.
It did not take long for Topuria to respond to the interview clip with a snarky response referencing the 35-year-old's current toe injury. In his reaction tweet, Topuria offered McGregor to visit him in Madrid to "see who slaps who."
Topuria tweeted:
"Pinky toe! Welcome to my home. It's great seeing you working for us! Come to Madrid and we will see who slaps who. Topuria Knuckles for dinner!"
Despite the relative animosity between the two fighters, a fantasy matchup is far from realistic due to the size difference. Though McGregor began his career as a featherweight, the current division that Topuria reigns as champion, he has since bulked up to nearly 200 pounds and is unlikely to ever even cut back down to the 155-pound lightweight limit.
Ilia Topuria's rumored next fight
Instead of a dream matchup with Conor McGregor, Ilia Topuria is rumored to be headlining another pay-per-view event later in 2024 against former featherweight champion Max Holloway. The two have gone back-and-forth on social media with both men blaming each other for the delay in their matchup.
Holloway has not been the 145-pound champion since losing his title to Alexander Volkanovski in 2019 but recently experienced a career resurgence with a Knockout of the Year contender at UFC 300. Following his career performance at UFC 300 against Justin Gaethje, 'Blessed' called for a title shot against Topuria with fans fully behind him.
The fight has yet to be confirmed but both sides appear to have hinted towards agreeing on the matchup. Tentative rumors suggest that it will materialize during the fall months with all parties waiting for an official announcement.