Ilia Topuria labeled ‘miserable copycat’ for imitating Conor McGregor once again during UFC 298 presser

Ilia Topuria, during the UFC 298 press conference, attempted to recreate the most iconic moment from the UFC 194 press conference when Conor McGregor faced Jose Aldo. Topuria’s imitation of McGregor’s act earned him the label of “Copycat” from fans.

UFC 298 is scheduled to take place this weekend, and the recent press conference on February 15th witnessed intense exchanges between Ilia Topuria and Alexander Volkanovski, even sparking a reminiscent moment of McGregor’s famous act from UFC 194.

Ilia Topuria was slammed by UFC fans for copying McGregor

The controversial act by Ilia Topuria has faced criticism from the UFC fans. Many were displeased with the way Topuria hyped the fight by recreating an act from UFC 194, where Conor McGregor took Jose Aldo’s UFC featherweight belt.

Ilia performed the same act at the UFC 298 press conference, but the only difference was that both Alexander Volkanovski and the 27-year-old Ilia didn’t seem very aggressive. Fans instantly criticized Topuria upon seeing “The Great’s” getup, as he replicated an act from nine years ago.

One fan directly called Illa Topuria a copycat while commenting, “He is merely a miserable copycat.”

One fan mocked Ilia by reminding him that there was no interference when Conor pulled the belt. “No one dared to touch McGregor when he took the belt but look at illa, the belt was snatched from bro’s hand”

Is McGregor Ilia Topuria’s favorite UFC fighter?

According to Sportskeeda, Ilia Topuria surely has the desire to share a cage fight with “The Notorious.” In an interview, Topuria said, “We can fight without a weight limit… I don’t see any fight that makes more sense for him and for me at this point. Look at the past. What has he done in the last four years? He hasn’t beaten anyone. He’s lost so many fights.”

From Ilia’s perspective, Conor McGregor is no longer relevant in the sport, despite acknowledging his past achievements in MMA. So, according to Alexander Volkanovski’s next opponent, the fight Conor McGregor should be looking for is against him.

“He lives and survives in this sport because of everything he has achieved in the past. Right now, in this sport, he’s nobody. I don’t know if he’s even ranked. If he feels ready for this level of competition and he wants to put his name here, I’m in the fight without any doubt.” Topuria Continued.

Ilia Topuria praised Conor McGregor for his contributions to the sport but did not label him as his “favorite” fighter. To support Topuria’s statement, from 2018 to 2023, Mystic Mac has three losses and only one win against Donald Cerrone at UFC 246.

Do you think Ilia Topuria will be able to replicate McGregor’s performance of UFC 194 against Alexander Volkanovski? Share your thoughts in the comment.