McGregor Predicts Topuria Loss Before White House Fight Based on Training Footage
"I knew what was gonna happen to him. I knew by his stride. Just seeing the training, I thought, you need to get a put-on-you in the gym. You need to get a put-on-you in the gym. If you're not getting a put-on-you in the gym, I've been there myself, people. There was too much the other way. Walking forward with the hands down on the opening bell, you're gonna get walloped."
About this episode
On this June 18th episode of Boys in the Back, hosts Connor Burks and Jack Medoff, joined by guest Dan filling in for Jordan who attended the Knicks championship parade, delivered a wide-ranging breakdown of UFC news and upcoming fights against the backdrop of New York City's championship euphoria. The biggest revelation came from resurfaced June 7th footage of Brendan Schaub praising the show as his favorite MMA commentary source, calling the hosts uncompromised and more knowledgeable than himself. The crew dissected Conor McGregor's Tuesday studio appearance where he predicted Ilia Topuria's loss before it happened based on training footage, then mapped out McGregor's potential path to an April 2027 finale against Topuria now that both have lost title status. Major fight announcements included Islam Makhachev defending his welterweight belt against Ian Machado Garry at UFC 330 in Philadelphia, with Mackenzie Dern versus Gillian Robertson as co-main, raising questions about Weili Zhang's prolonged absence. The hosts expressed deep skepticism over Joe Rogan's claim that the White House card hit 150 million views by Monday, noting Paramount Plus only has 80 million total subscribers. They previewed this weekend's UFC Apex 119 card headlined by Manel Kopp versus Kyoji Horiguchi in a flyweight title eliminator rematch, and celebrated superfan Liam the Iowa Lion's LFA debut with custom BITB fight gear. The show featured enthusiastic voicemails celebrating summer 2026, a debate over Wheel of Fortune versus Jeopardy, and the Pound for Pound list theme of things worth waiting for, which sparked disagreement when Frank's picks were all future events rather than past payoffs.
Key takeaways
- Brendan Schaub called Boys in the Back his favorite MMA commentary source on June 7th, praising their uncompromised authentic takes over veteran media with fighter relationships to manage.
- Conor McGregor revealed he predicted Ilia Topuria's loss to Gaethje before it happened, claiming training footage showed insufficient gym adversity and overconfidence walking into the fight.
- UFC 330 announced for August in Philadelphia with Islam Makhachev defending welterweight title against Ian Machado Garry, plus Mackenzie Dern versus Gillian Robertson for strawweight belt.
- Hosts explored McGregor versus Topuria as ideal April 2027 finale with both now titleless, allowing UFC to avoid championship risk on McGregor's final contracted fight.
- Joe Rogan's claim of 150 million White House card views by Monday deemed implausible given Paramount Plus has only 80 million total subscribers worldwide.
- Weekend preview focused on UFC Apex 119 main event Manel Kopp versus Kyoji Horiguchi flyweight title eliminator rematch, with Kopp favored despite losing their 2017 RIZIN bout.
- Superfan Liam the Iowa Lion debuting at LFA 235 tomorrow wearing custom Boys in the Back fight gear in photos that went viral among the audience.