Conor McGregor sent unexpected invite by UFC rival after blazing row

McGregor has had a long-running rivalry with Ilia Topuria but the Georgian has offered an olive branch to the former two-weight world champion.

UFC featherweight champion Ilia Topuria has invited former two-division king Conor McGregor to his next training camp.

The pair have exchanged several verbal altercations over the last few weeks. During a recent appearance on a stream sponsored by Duelbits, the Irishman hit out at Topuria, who remarked that he wasn't important enough to fight right now. "There are bigger fights than him," Topuria told Ibai Llanos. "He's not the McGregor that moved the masses; he's a McGregor who represents alcohol and drugs more than sport."

His words found their mark when McGregor was prompted about a fight with 'El Matador' during the stream. The Irishman was asked how he'd beat the 27-year-old, responding: "I'd grab him by the scruff of the chest and slap the little nose off him, yeah. The little ding dong of a thing he is, yeah." The Irishman then called for a fight with Topuria at BKFC Spain on October 12. "You little fool I'll cave your head in,'' he continued. "You little short-a*** d*** I'll box your jaw in. On sight! I'm in Marbella Spain October 12th at the Bareknuckle. See what happens, yeah, see what happens when you cross me bro."

Following his comments, when asked about McGregor's threats, Topuria went off on the former two-division champion. “F*** you, Conor,” he said during an Instagram live. "All day every day. He’s just not on my level, not at all. Otherwise, I’d gladly plant these knuckles in his brain to see if I could fix it and straighten his nose. He says when we meet – you won’t even look me in the eye because you’ll s*** yourself. McChicken. On the 12th, he’ll be at an event in Spain while I’m on the frontlines, not as a spectator. I’ll be headlining an event. He’s been missing out on big time. So deal with it, McGregor. F*** you!”

'El Matador' has long called for a fight with the Irishman, however, the featherweight king did not attend the BKFC event in Spain last weekend as he is currently preparing for the first defence of his 145lb title against BMF champion Max Holloway at UFC 308 next weekend.

Despite their back-and-forth, things have taken an unexpected turn. Topuria has recently sent an open invitation to McGregor, enticing the Irishman to come train with the 27-year-old. Speaking to Ariel Helwani, he said: “He’s a fake fighter. He fakes all the time that he’s going to fight.

"Fighters fight every day…for me, he’s retired, I don’t even want to talk about a guy that’s retired. I feel bad…that’s never going to happen, never. How? I’m the world champion and he’s not even in the rankings. But, we can do something if he wants. For my next training camp for my next fight, I invite him with Dan Hooker and we can do two and a half minute [sessions]…I’ll change them every round, we can do that… Official fight? That’s impossible. And right now at this point, I have much bigger fights than Conor McGregor. Conor McChicken.”

McGregor is hoping to return to action next year. His last official fight came back in 2021, when he suffered a defeat to Dustin Poirier at UFC 264. The 36-year-old was due to fight Michael Chandler at UFC 303 earlier this year, but was forced to pull out of the contest due to an injury. Following the Irishman's withdrawal, Chandler will now take on Charles Oliveira at UFC 309 in November.

Speaking to Bloody Elbow at Bare Knuckle Fighting Championship's event in Marbella last weekend, McGregor suggested he's scheduled to fight Dan Hooker in Saudi Arabia. In a brief exchange the BKFC shareholder retorted: "February 1, Saudi Arabia." Adding: "Dan Hooker" when asked his opponent. That said, 'The Hangman' has shut down the potential date as he's expecting the birth of his second child that month.