UFC lightweight champion Ilia Topuria will be watching on with interest when Conor McGregor returns to the Octagon after a five years absence in July to fight Max Holloway as he believes it could pave the way for a future fight against the Irish superstar.

“Wow, it’s a sh*t fight,” Topuria told ESPN Deportes [Translated from Spanish]. “Conor, I think this is good for the sport. I personally think that he’s good for the sport because many people want to see him fight, and want to see one of the real stars of the UFC. I’m not kidding you, I consider Conor one of the biggest stars in the UFC, but it’s one of those things that has its pros and cons. He’s on a downward slide, and the only one who really stands to gain anything from this fight isn’t UFC anymore, it’s him.”

“It’s going to be a stand-up fight, I think, purely striking,” Topuria continued. “We’re not going to see any wrestling or ground game. Don’t think Conor’s much worse than Max. They’ll probably just go at it like two kittens, just touching hands and feeling each other out.”

“I think Conor is going to win. They already fought once and Conor won. This time around, he could beat him – he should beat him. In fact, if you ask me who I want to win, and what winner is best for me, it’s Conor – because if he wins, and he takes one more fight, maybe we could end up fighting each other.”

Topuria has admitted in the past that he idolized McGregor earlier in his career and was inspired by him, though he’s said that’s no longer the case since the former two-division champion’s well documented troubles outside of the Octagon and party-lifestyle in recent years.