UFC superstar Conor McGregor made light of comparisons with Ilia Topuria with a bizarre meme.
Ilia Topuria became the UFC’s pound-for-pound king when he knocked out Charles Oliveira for the then-vacant UFC lightweight championship last month at UFC 317. Topuria etched his name into the UFC history books by winning a second world title, becoming one of just a handful of legends to accomplish the feat.
Topuria added fuel to comparisons between himself and UFC superstar Conor McGregor with his ongoing unbeaten run. Despite their shared accolades, there’s little love between Topuria and McGregor.
Conor McGregor face swaps Ilia Topuria in latest jab at UFC’s pound-for-pound king
After Topuria knocked out Alexander Volkanovski for the UFC’s featherweight title at UFC 298, Topuria called out McGregor for a matchup in Spain for the legend’s return to the Octagon. McGregor hasn’t fought since injuring his leg against Dustin Poirier in their UFC 264 trilogy.
Since UFC 298, tensions have escalated between Topuria and McGregor. McGregor’s biggest rival, Khabib Nurmagomedov, compared him with Topuria, a comparison that wasn’t well received by McGregor in a since-deleted tweet.
Days after the tweet, McGregor shared a new haircut with likeness to UFC Hall of Famer Chuck Liddell. Reactions to McGregor’s new haircut are mixed, as the former two-division champ continues to tease a return to the Octagon next year.
Topuria’s elite boxing, to go with his brash personality, has drawn comparisons with McGregor throughout his career. After McGregor’s new haircut went viral, he shared a since-deleted meme to his Instagram story that seemed to troll the two-division UFC champ.
Conor McGregor via Instagram ðŸ˜ðŸ˜ pic.twitter.com/UXaZQDicAR
— Championship Rounds (@ChampRDS) July 29, 2025
As of this writing, Topuria hasn’t responded to McGregor’s shared meme. He’s expected to return to the Octagon later this year to defend his lightweight championship against a to-be-announced opponent.
Last year, tensions between McGregor and Topuria skyrocketed when McGregor called for the then-featherweight champion to ‘Meet him in Marbella’ while he was in Spain for a Bare Knuckle FC event. Despite McGregor’s astonishing rant, Topuria and McGregor didn’t come face-to-face in Marbella for BKFC Spain.
Conor McGregor/Ilia Topuria feud continues one year after ‘Marbella’ callout
McGregor recently confirmed his UFC comeback plans to fight on the promotion’s planned White House card next July. The former two-division titleholder said he re-entered the UFC’s drug testing pool and seems serious in his latest comeback attempt.
McGregor was supposed to headline UFC 303 last year against Michael Chandler before withdrawing due to injury. Chandler has fought twice since he and McGregor competed opposite each other as coaches on The Ultimate Fighter 31.
McGregor has lost three of his last four UFC fights, including back-to-back losses to Poirier in 2021. His last win came against UFC Hall of Famer Donald Cerrone at UFC 246.