ILIA TOPURIA has opened up on his social media spat with Cristiano Ronaldo, which seemingly ended with a shock gesture from the footie icon.
The Real Madrid legend was caught bad-mouthing the former UFC featherweight champion during a conversation with Francis Ngannou last October.
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Ronaldo, 40, claimed Topuria “talked too much” and hadn’t beaten anyone of note in the build-up to his clash with Max Holloway.
Boyhood Los Blancos fan Topuria was left disappointed by Ronaldo’s jibe, so much so that he took aim at him on social media.
He said: “I didn’t expect someone like you to be unable to distinguish between confidence and arrogance.”
Five-time Ballon d’Or winner Ronaldo didn’t hit back at the Georgian-born Spaniard, whom he eventually followed on social media
During an appearance on The Ariel Helwani Show, Topuria said of the row: “I think he said something about me when he was in the backstage with Ngannou and it felt bad, to be honest.
“But then, he started following me. So we’ll see. Maybe one day we’ll meet and chat.
“This is what I said, once he meets me in person, he’s not going to have that opinion about me.
“That I talk too much and this and that. But maybe that’s the perception they have about me when they see me on social media.
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“After all that, he started following me. Maybe he saw something different about me.”
Topuria, 28, returns to action early on Sunday morning in the main event of UFC 317 in Las Vegas.
He’ll bid to become the promotion’s tenth two-division champion by winning the vacant lightweight title against former belt holder Charles Oliveira.
He said of the Sin City showdown: “Charles is a great fighter.
“I’d say he’s a legendary fighter, one of the few still active in the UFC.
“But the truth is that his style fits perfectly with mine to put him to sleep in the first round.
“Because he has no mobility, he doesn’t move.”
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