Conor McGregor from Wish? Ilia Topuria put the King to sleep, then challenged the star Irishman he was copying: If you’ve got balls, I’m waiting for you!

UFC 298 offered a sensational spectacle. In addition, a new champion was crowned in the main event. Alexander Volkanovski lost for the first time in the featherweight division. He was defeated by Ilia Topuria, who had earned the label “Conor McGregor wannabe” before the fight. But with the win, he showed that he is a force to be reckoned with. And then came the big challenge.

It was 2015. The then 27-year-old confident and brash Irishman faced one of the UFC’s biggest icons. Jose Aldo was the undisputed featherweight king, he had a record number of defenses that to this day has never been surpassed in the division.

Conor McGregor tried to upset him. At the press conference, he stung the Brazilian. He also stole his championship belt. Aldo believed he was going to punish him for this behavior. He didn’t. Once the fight started, the Irish phenom needed only 13 seconds to send the legend into dreamland.

Now, a similar situation repeated itself. This time, Ilia Topuria was the villain. However, the dominant featherweight champion was not Aldo, but Alexander Volkanovski, who was one win short of matching the Brazilian’s defense count.

the 27-year-old fighter, who was born in Germany but represents Georgia and Spain, was mimicking the Irish superstar at the press conference. He used the same catchphrases and even copied the accent. He also took Volkanovsky’s title off the table. That’s why he was labelled a wannabe McGregor or McGregor of Wishe.

Moreover, fans shared photos showing that Ilia Topuria also took inspiration from the Irishman in terms of tattoos. So it was a question whether an undefeated fighter with a 14-0 record could keep up with a quality and seasoned fighter like Volkanovski.

Ilia Topuria put the champion to sleep, then challenged McGregor

Before the press conference, Ilia Topuria talked about one big dream. Aside from wanting to become champion, which he was working hard to do, he had one goal. He wanted Conor McGregor to fight him. In Spain, at the Santiago Bernabeu, the home of Real Madrid.

He was even sure the stadium would sell out in five minutes. To this, Daniel Cormier, whom he interviewed, replied if he was aware that the pride of the White Ballet has a capacity of over 81,000 seats.

The reaction? “It doesn’t matter. We both have a big following,” the Georgian replied. Only, to challenge the Irishman at all, he needed to emulate him not only in the press conference, but more importantly in the cage. He didn’t do that, but he did get the title.

In the second round he dethroned Alexander Volkanovsky with a hard knockout. Afterwards, he sent a clear message and challenged McGregor: “If you still have the balls, I’ll be waiting for you in Spain.”

But the Irishman now has a fight scheduled with Michael Chandler, with no date known. The return of the former king of two weight classes is still delayed. Besides, there is constant speculation about what weight Conor will fight at in the first place.

Then again, if it were to come down to a fight with newly crowned champion Topuria, the weight would be hard to find. In fact, the Irishman has hinted that he will fight Chandler in a welterweight bout. Who knows if he could even make the lightweight division, let alone the featherweight division. But that’s just speculation right now. They may not come to fruition at all.

Source: UFC, Ariel Helwani, Essentially Sports