You are a coward: Ilia Topuria hits out at Conor McGregor

LockerRoom Team

23 Jun 2024

Ilia Topuria, the current UFC featherweight champion, has expressed skepticism about Conor McGregor’s path to a potential return to the octagon.

Since winning the title in February with a knockout victory over Alexander Volkanovski at UFC 298, Topuria has called for a future fight with McGregor. Recently, McGregor revealed that a broken toe caused him to withdraw from the UFC 303 main event against Michael Chandler. McGregor assured fans that he would no longer compete while injured and boldly predicted he would "never lose another fight."

Topuria seized the moment to respond to the former two-division UFC champion on Twitter, stating, “You are mentally broken. That is your biggest lesson. You doubt yourself, your abilities, your preparation, that’s why you don’t show up. You are a coward.”

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While Topuria awaits the scheduling of his first 145-pound title defense, McGregor is aiming to return to action after a severe leg injury sustained in his UFC 264 loss to Dustin Poirier in July 2021.