The fight for the UFC featherweight belt is just around the corner, and, while the long-awaited date arrives, Ilia Topuria and Max Holloway have not missed the opportunity to warm up the fight. Although Topuria claimed that he didn’t see Holloway using any strategy when he faced Justin Gaethje, the result was a KO win for Holloway. And that’s not all as the current UFC featherweight champion’s further digs on the BMF champ seem to have drawn Conor McGregor’s attention.

In a recent interview with Ariel Helwani, the Spanish-Georgian fighter mocked Holloway for losing his fight against Conor McGregor at UFC Fight Night 26: Shogun vs. Sonnen. In a match that was dominated by McGregor, ‘Blessed’ lost the fight to a round 3 decision. However, McGregor believes that Topuria should be cautious about going against the 32-year-old since he is a much more evolved fighter now. Someone who is much more fluid with his movements and is an ambidextrous fighter, all as a result of his loss against the Irishman back in 2013.

McGregor wrote, “It’s not a bad shout hahaha but Holloway came back and earned it majorly. Two time fw champion. Attempted double champ. Is current bmf champ. Nah he the real deal. Always was, always is. Holloway is an always was, always is. 1000% He became way better after losing to me. He actually became an all time great after losing to me. This is a stellar fight folks! He took moves as well with him. He became ambidextrous after fighting me. He can fight in both stances now as good as each other. He will be very hard to catch for the little man.”

Well, it would be interesting to see Holloway’s reaction to the backhanded compliment. And that aside, the featherweight champion is slightly accustomed to having McGregor pounce on him, especially since this wasn’t the only time when McGregor threw himself in the middle of the beef between Topuria and Holloway. In fact, the feud between the two led to a back-and-forth that was fueled by a jibe taken by Conor McGregor. But what did the Irishman say that caused a controversy between the two?

McGregor takes a shot at Topuria’s roots

Just a few days ago, ‘The Notorious’ decided to take a jibe at Topuria while taking the chance to generate some controversial hype around the fight. McGregor declared at the BKFC’s card in Marbella that “Topuria is not Spanish; I am more Spanish than him.” A comment that definitely drew immediate reactions on social media and only fueled the controversy around the fight.

Topuria too responded by saying that he feels like he is more African than Francis Ngannou. “When I see myself in the mirror, below my waist, I also think sometimes I’m more African than Francis Ngannou.” And this wasn’t even the first time, since both McGregor and Topuria have had several exchanges in the past. And as evident by the recent statements, the rivalry between the two has only grown over time.

The Irishman’s backhanded compliment was also a slight provocation to draw the ire of the Spanish-Georgian fighter, but only time will tell if this would be enough to throw him off his game. Ilia Topuria and Max Holloway will face each other next Sunday, October 26 at UFC 308, where they will step into the octagon as the main event of the night.

What do you think? Is Holloway actually a much-improved fighter after his loss against McGregor? Or will Topuria be able to retain his featherweight throne? Let us know in the comments.