New champions were crowned, new stars emerged, and Ilia Topuria moved from being one of McGregor’s admirers to a two-division champion, bitter rival, and, for many fight fans, the face of a new generation in the past 5 years. However, it seems like despite his long absence, Conor McGregor continues to find ways to remind everyone that it is near-impossible to escape his shadow.

‘The Notorious’ has taken a piece of UFC history away from Ilia Topuria after his 2013 one-of-one Topps UFC Bloodlines Platinum Rookie Autograph card sold for a whopping $196,420 at a recent auction. This makes it the most expensive UFC trading card ever sold, breaking the previous record held by ‘El Matador.’ The former lightweight champion’s 2022 Black Prizm one-of-one card previously held the record as the most expensive one sold at $101,000. This definitely would be a big deal for many, but for Conor McGregor, it’s simply another bonus ahead of his long-awaited return next week.

“It’s a lot of fun, and it’s more fun,” he told TheMacLife. “It’s for the fun more than for anything else. So all of these little sweet cherries on top are beautiful and more fuel to the fire.”

While there have been other cards that have set the benchmark for top-tier UFC trading cards, like Khabib Nurmagomedov’s 2014 Topps UFC Knockout Autographs one-of-one card, sold for around $79,200 in May 2022, and Islam Makhachev’s 2025 Topps Chrome UFC “Mark Of A Champion” Superfractor Auto one-of-one sold for around $75,000 last year, none have come close to the figure commanded by the Irishman’s card.

The timing makes the record even more interesting. Conor McGregor hasn’t competed since breaking his leg against Dustin Poirier at UFC 264 in 2021. Meanwhile, Ilia Topuria has spent those years as one of the promotion’s top stars and a two-division champion. And during this long break, their relationship has also gone from admiration to a pretty heated rivalry.

‘El Matador’ looked up to the Irishman, but the two began trading jibes around the Spaniard’s 2024 fight with Max Holloway. After Ilia Topuria criticized Holloway’s loss against Conor McGregor in 2013, ‘The Notorious’ defended his former opponent, claiming that the modern version of Holloway was a completely different fighter.

Since then, Conor McGregor treats Ilia Topuria as more of an imitator than a successor. It is also worth noting that this isn’t the first time ‘The Notorious’ has one-upped his younger rival recently. In UFC 6, Conor McGregor received higher striking numbers than Topuria, including a perfect 100 for punch power and punch speed. Topuria received 99 punch power and 97 punch speed.

Now, McGregor has taken the trading card record, too. Of course, he’ll soon have the opportunity to make a far bigger statement when he returns to UFC 329 on July 11 against the same man who was at the center of his early feud with Topuria.

And, while the trading card record may be another “sweet cherry on top,” Conor McGregor’s real motivation for UFC 329 seems to run far deeper.

Conor McGregor explains why James 1:12 means so much to him

During the same interview, Conor McGregor was asked what the Bible verse James 1:12 means to him. After all, he can often be found quoting it on social media.

“Just feel I’m in it, my man,” he replied. “Went through it. I’ve been put in a place to feast before my enemies.”

For those unaware, the verse is about persevering through trials and receiving the “crown of life” by standing firm through them. So it’s easy to see why that message resonates with Conor McGregor right now.

The former two-division champion hasn’t won a fight in the Octagon since defeating Donald Cerrone in under 40 seconds back at UFC 246 in 2020. Since then, he’s suffered two losses to Dustin Poirier, a nasty broken leg, and a five-year absence from the sport.

But through all of that, ‘The Notorious’ believes his faith has become a crucial part of his life now.

In fact, he spoke out last year about a highly personal spiritual experience he had while receiving trauma treatment in Mexico. Conor McGregor stated that the experience pushed him to confront his own death and the impact it would have on his children.

“I was shown what would have been my death,” he wrote on X. “How soon it was to be, and how it would have impacted my children. I was looking down on myself as it happened, and then I was looking out from the coffin. God then came to me in the Holy Trinity.

“He is MIGHTY! Jesus, his child. Mary, his Mother. The Archangels. All present in heaven. I was shown the light. Jesus descended from the white marble steps of heaven and anointed me with a crown. I was saved! My brain. My heart. My soul. Healed! I was 36 hours under before I finally rested. When I awoke I was me again.”

That gives his James 1:12 comments a lot more weight heading into UFC 329. For Conor McGregor, this comeback means more than just another payday, a trading card record, or defeating ‘Blessed’ for the second time.

After five years away from the sport that he loved and everything that happened during that time, ‘The Notorious’ sees July 11 as his chance to finally come through the other side of the trial he believes he’s been living.