ILIA TOPURIA has discussed his social media disagreement with Cristiano Ronaldo, revealing it seemingly concluded with an unexpected action from the football star.
The football icon, known for his time at Manchester United and Real Madrid, was reportedly overheard criticizing the former UFC featherweight champion during a chat with Francis Ngannou last October.
Ronaldo, aged 40, reportedly said Topuria “talked too much” and hadn`t defeated any notable opponents leading up to his potential clash with Max Holloway (which didn`t happen, Topuria fought Volkanovski).
Topuria, a lifelong fan of Real Madrid, was understandably upset by Ronaldo’s comment and responded to him on social media.
He wrote: “I didn’t expect someone like you to be unable to distinguish between confidence and arrogance.”
The five-time Ballon d’Or winner did not publicly reply to the fighter born in Georgia but eventually followed him on Instagram, adding Topuria to the relatively small list of people he follows (around 603).
Speaking on The Ariel Helwani Show, Topuria shared his thoughts on the incident: “I think he said something about me when he was backstage with Ngannou, and honestly, it felt bad.
“But then, he started following me. So we’ll see. Maybe we’ll meet and talk one day.
“This is what I believe: once he meets me in person, he won’t hold that opinion of me anymore.
“That I talk too much and so on. But perhaps that’s the impression people get of me from social media.
“After all that, he started following me. Maybe he noticed something different about me.”
Topuria, 28, is set to compete again early Sunday morning, headlining UFC 317 in Las Vegas.
He aims to become the promotion’s tenth two-division champion by challenging former lightweight titleholder Charles Oliveira for the vacant belt.
Regarding the upcoming fight in “Sin City,” he commented: “Charles is a superb fighter.
“I`d even call him a legendary fighter, one of the few legends still active in the UFC.
“But the truth is, his fighting style is a perfect match for mine to finish him in the first round.
“Because he lacks mobility; he doesn`t move well.”
