Ilia Topuria Branded ‘Conor McGregor From Wish’ After Copying Belt Grab Against Alexander Volkanovski at UFC 298 Presser

UFC 298 takes place this weekend and features an exciting title fight between Alexander Volkanovski and Ilia Topuria. There is a classic storyline for this fight going into UFC 298. A young, undefeated fighter taking on a champion who has held the belt for a few years now. Topuria has been relying heavily on his mental warfare to try to get under Volkanovski’s skin. While Topuria believes it might be working, most fans as well as fellow featherweight Movsar Evloev have a different point of view on the event.

The UFC 298 press conference was recently held at the Honda Center in Anaheim. As expected, Topuria started commenting on Volkanovski and his age from the first chance he got. Earlier this week, while taking photos for the upcoming fight, Topuria grabbed Volkanovski’s belt and took multiple photos with it. At the time he did that, Volkanovski was not around. However, once he entered the room and saw that Topuria had his belt, the two men exchanged a few heated words. He stepped up the antics at the press conference.

Topuria’s antics at the press conference drew ire from a fellow featherweight. Movsar Evloev commented on a tweet comparing Topuria’s actions to that of Conor McGregor. Evloev replied to the tweet, saying,

“Ilia “Conor from Wish!” Tapuri.”

Ilia “Conor from Wish!” Tapuri https://t.co/qqCS3RgEW0

— Movsar Evloev (@MovsarUFC) February 16, 2024

In the same press conference, Volkanovski was asked about how confident he is going into the fight that he can retain the belt. The champion took a dig at ‘El Matador’ saying the belt is something you earn and not snatch to take photos with.

At this point, Topuria leaped from across the table and raised it in the air. This was similar to what Conor McGregor did against Jose Aldo during their promotional press conference tour.

Ilia Topuria’s antics getting under Alexander Volkanovski’s skin?

‘El Matador’ is trying every trick in the book to get under Volkanovski’s skin. However, it does not seem to be working. Even when he snatched the belt, Volkanovski was calm and composed and did not react in anger. This was contrary to the reaction Conor McGregor evoked from Jose Aldo when he did the same thing.

 

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Needless to say, if Volkanovski fights emotionally, Topuria will be able to capitalize on it easily. However, if we were to judge based on his demeanor so far, it would be business as usual for Alexander Volkanovski this weekend.