Islam Makhachev breaks down fantasy fight between Conor McGregor and Ilia Topuria as he provides rare praise

That opened up the door for Ilia Topuria to swoop in and become the champion of the division when he knocked out Charles Oliveira at UFC 317.

And with both fighters being two of the biggest stars in the sport, they have both been involved in historic feuds with former king of the division, Conor McGregor.

During his prime, ‘The Notorious’ was widely regarded as one of the best strikers in the UFC, which is a title that Topuria has somewhat taken over. And with the constant comparisons between the two, Makhachev has broken down how a fight between the two would go.

Who wins between Conor McGregor and Ilia Topuria in their prime?

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Makhachev claims McGregor was ‘on another level’

Despite having knocked out his last few opponents, ‘El Matador’ is regarded as more well-rounded that what McGregor was throughout his UFC career.

And in a recent interview, the Russian champion was asked whether he ranks Topuria higher in skill than McGregor.

“If we’re talking about pure offensive power, maybe Topuria has more,” he told Ushatayka.

“But as a counter puncher, McGregor was better. His timing, the way he waited and set things up. I’m a southpaw myself, and he’s a southpaw too. The way he would catch opponents with the left hand while making them miss. That was on another level,” he continued.

In a recent interview with Bloody Elbow, McGregor stated that he would like to make his comeback to the UFC to eventually take on Makhachev, potentially putting an end to their longstanding feud.

Before that can happen, though, the Irishman must make a successful comeback in 2026, and he is still targeting the UFC White House event for his highly-anticipated return.

Topuria recently threatened Khabib in message to Makhachev’s team

Despite Makhachev having broken down a potential fight between McGregor and Topuria, fans are still hopeful that he and the Spaniard will eventually clash.

Although the 28-year-old recently announced he is briefly stepping away from the sport, he is hopeful that in his return, he may end up fighting the Russian for his welterweight title.

And with that, he recently sent a message to Makhachev and his team, bizarrely threatening to ‘step on’ Khabib Nurmagomedov.