Ilia Topuria Slams Former Idol Conor McGregor: ‘He Represents Alcohol and Drugs, Not Sport’
El Matador’ Ilia Topuria grew up being inspired by Conor McGregor. But no longer. After being found guilty of sexual assault, the Georgian-Spanish Topuria is leaving his idol behind. Topuria now condemns the fallen star for betraying the values that once defined him.
Ilia Topuria Slams Former Idol Conor McGregor
Ilia Topuria had an outstanding 2024. The skilled striker was able to capture the UFC featherweight crown by way of knockout against the top-ranked pound-for-pound athlete Alexander Volkanovski. In his first defense, he knocked out all-time great Max Holloway.
While he was a young man, ‘El Matador’ was inspired by Conor Mcgregor’s story. Coming from poverty and building himself into a two-division UFC champion. Recently, the Irish athlete was found guilty of sexual assault. Combined with several other accusations, as he is constantly in hot water with the law, Topuria has outgrown his hero. While working out, he explained:
“I know he’s not what he was. He is a McGregor who represents alcohol and drugs more than sport. I was inspired by Conor. He was an inspiration for me when I was young. Myself and a lot of other people I know wanted to follow in his footsteps because he was an example of faith that everything can be achieved through hard work, consistency, and effort. And he lost all of that because he betrayed the values that led him to his success.”
Topuria has publicly denounced his former idol, Conor McGregor. His former hero abandoned the principles of hard work that initially made him an icon.
