Frankie Edgar shares why Ilia Topuria doesn’t measure up to Conor McGregor

McGregor was already a massive presence in the sport before Topuria even made his debut.

He didn’t just win fights – he often predicted exactly how and when he’d do it, including his 13-second knockout of Jose Aldo, which remains the fastest title fight finish in UFC history.

Beyond his record inside the cage, McGregor built much of his fame on his gift of the gab. His sharp wit and ability to sell a fight helped him become one of MMA’s biggest pay-per-view draws ever.

Speaking about Topuria, former lightweight champion Frankie Edgar weighed in:

“There will never be another Conor,” Edgar said on The Champ and The Tramp Podcast. “That’s my take. Just because it’s not set up. Like, [McGregor] did it already. That’s why it’s not gonna happen again.”

Paddy Pimblett has drawn some comparisons to McGregor for his brash personality and willingness to stir the pot online – and Edgar believes the Brit has more in common with ‘The Notorious’ than Ilia.

“Paddy’s more like Conor than Ilia is like Conor. Because Ilia, he tries, he says some funny stuff. He’s not as good as Conor. Conor’s special dude. Chael Sonnen was special. If Chael lived up to everything he said. He would be the biggest star by far.

“Conor also steps over the f****** line, in my mind,” Edgar added.

Frankie Edgar recognises some of the criticism surrounding Ilia Topuria

Topuria quietened a lot of critics with his knockout win over Charles Oliveira at UFC 317, but questions still linger about whether he’s facing opponents past their best.

’The Answer’, who has been retired for nearly three years now, sees where those doubts are coming from.

“He’s living up to the hype,” Edgar said of Topuria.

“He’s saying what he was gonna do and going out there and doing it.

“But, there’s always the people that are gonna say some s— and hate on him… And they do have a point too,” Edgar continued.

“He beat a 36-year-old Volkanovski. He beat Holloway, coming off a hard ass weight cut because he’s at 155, went back down to 145. Volk coming off a head kick knockout. And he just fought a 35, almost 36-year-old Oliveira. You know the stats, right, with the 35-year-old [curse]?”