Since joining the UFC in 2020, Ilia Topuria has quickly made a name for himself. With big wins under his belt, he’s now undefeated with a 15-0 record in MMA. That kind of success has given him a strong belief—he thinks he can become the richest athlete in the world.
To some people, it might sound crazy that he wants to challenge global stars like Cristiano Ronaldo and Conor McGregor. But when you look at his winning streak in both MMA and UFC, it’s easy to see where his confidence comes from. He’s not just dreaming big—he’s proving himself every step of the way.
Ilia Topuria Draws Inspiration from McGregor’s Iconic 2021 Feat
2021 was a tough year for Conor McGregor. In July, he hurt his leg badly and hasn’t been able to fight since. We still don’t know when he’ll come back. But looking at the bright side, that same year, Conor topped Forbes’ list as the highest-paid athlete, earning $180 million.
Now, Ilia Topuria, who has a 7-0 record in the UFC, has his eyes set on making more money than Conor. When asked how much he thinks he’ll make in 2025, Topuria made a big promise. He said in Spanish on the Webposter Podcast, “Look, I can tell you I have no doubt that in 2025, I will be the highest-paid athlete in the world.”
“I wanna make more money than everyone. “ It’s not like I wanna be better than someone, like, if someone can do it, I wanna do it. And if no one did it, I wanna be the first one to do it,” he added with conviction.
The Spanish fighter explained that this is his genuine mentality, where he doesn’t want anyone to look down on him. It’s all about his feeling of being the number one.
How Ilia Topuria’s Bold Prediction Challenges Cristiano Ronaldo’s Earnings
Cristiano Ronaldo, one of the greatest football players, made $260 million in 2024, making him the highest-paid athlete. On the other hand, Ilia Topuria, a UFC fighter, has earned about $3.5 million in his career so far. His earnings have been growing, with big payouts like $532,000 for his fight against Alexander Volkanovski and $2.44 million for his match with Max Holloway.
Cristiano Ronaldo tops Forbes’ highest-paid athlete list for the fourth time
Five of the top ten are footballers 💰 pic.twitter.com/ob4mGYcNbs
— B/R Football (@brfootball) May 16, 2024
Topuria still has a long way to go before becoming the richest athlete, as evidenced by the difference in their earnings. But Topuria is determined. Even though it’s a big challenge to earn more than Ronaldo, Topuria is confident and might search for business opportunities to reach his financial goals.
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