Before the recently concluded headliner fight between Ilia Topuria and Max Holloway, several prominent figures shared their detailed assessments of the matchup. Many analysts favored Topuria to win, while others believed Holloway would come out on top. Interestingly, soccer superstar Cristiano Ronaldo also offered his perspective on the fight.
Cristiano Ronaldo recently attended the PFL: Battle of Giants fight night, which featured a match between Francis Ngannou and Renan Ferreira. The Portuguese soccer star engaged in a discussion with Eric Nicksick. Ronaldo asked Nicksick about the fight between Topuria and Holloway. While discussing this matchup, Ronaldo expressed his confidence that Holloway would emerge as the winner.
I like Max (Holloway). He‘s a tough guy. (Topuria) speaks to much… I think when he (beat) Volk, Volk wasn‘t (ready) because of that kick… (Topuria) didn‘t fight with the top guys. If he beats Max, I will respect…
Cristiano Ronaldo via PFL MMA
Ronaldo is a passionate fan of combat sports, making numerous appearances at fight nights. The Portuguese soccer star has also formed strong friendships with several fighters, including Conor McGregor. His connections with prominent figures in the MMA community have deepened his understanding of the sport. As such, Ronaldo even tried to preview the UFC 308 main event.
Cristiano Ronaldo was picking Max Holloway to beat Ilia Topuria:
“[Topuria] speaks too much… I think when he [beat] Volk, Volk wasn’t [ready] because of that kick…
[Topuria] didn’t fight with the top guys. If he beats Max, I will respect.”
🎥 @PFLMMApic.twitter.com/kLTps7MUyK
— Championship Rounds (@ChampRDS) November 1, 2024
Similar to Ronaldo, McGregor expressed his confidence in Holloway’s ability to defeat Topuria. However, the matchup did not unfold as they had anticipated. In his first title defense, Topuria decisively overwhelmed Holloway with a powerful left hook, securing a knockout victory. Interestingly, in a similar manner to Ronaldo, Topuria also dismissed the soccer star in an exciting criteria.
Ilia Topuria snubs Cristiano Ronaldo from the greatest players in La Liga history list
Ilia Topuria, the UFC featherweight champion, is a passionate soccer fan. As such, following his victory over Alexander Volkanovski, he received a warm welcome at the home ground of his favorite team. Topuria is a die-hard supporter of Real Madrid. However, when asked to name one of the best players in La Liga history, he did not choose a Real Madrid player.
Ahead of the UFC 308, Topuria was asked to choose between various soccer players. Initially, he favored Barcelona forward Lamine Yamal over Kylian Mbappe, Jude Bellingham, and Pedri. Topuria then selected Andreas Iniesta over Yamal, Luka Modric, and Xavi Hernandez before ultimately deciding on Zinedine Zidane. After some deliberation between Zidane and Ronaldo, he ultimately chose the French legend.
🇬🇪🇪🇸🥊 Ahead of his massive fight this Saturday, UFC featherweight champion and Real Madrid fan Ilia Topuria didn’t even hesitate to choose Lionel Messi as his favorite ever football player 🐐🇦🇷
🎥 @LaLiga pic.twitter.com/YORgk8ehgF
— All About Argentina 🛎🇦🇷 (@AlbicelesteTalk) October 24, 2024
Interestingly, Topuria concluded the game by selecting Lionel Messi as the greatest player in La Liga history, favoring him over Zinedine Zidane. However, this choice doesn’t diminish the strong bond Topuria has with several Real Madrid legends, especially Sergio Ramos. Notably, the former Real Madrid defender even showed his support for ‘El Matador’ at UFC 308.
