Demetrious Johnson shares high praise for Ilia Topuria ahead of UFC 298: “The last person who I felt that way about, to be honest, was Conor McGregor”

Demetrious Johnson has given his thoughts on the rise of Ilia Topuria ahead of UFC 298 this evening.

Tonight, Ilia Topuria has the chance to change his life forever. He will walk into UFC 298 as the challenger, but he aims to walk out as the champion. He will be battling Alexander Volkanovski for the UFC featherweight title with many believing he has a good chance at coming out on top.

Regardless of whether or not you agree, nobody can deny the talent that he possesses. In addition, nobody can deny the star power he has already achieved.

RELATED: Ilia Topuria explains why he drinks “half a litre of wine” the night before UFC weigh-ins

Another man who enjoyed a rise to prominence, Demetrious Johnson, has given his view on Ilia Topuria in a recent interview.

Johnson praises Topuria

“The biggest thing for him is just going out there and fighting Ilia Topuria, who has a high IQ, very good boxing,” Johnson said. “I will say this, it’s not very often I see somebody fight, and they do certain things, and I’m like, ‘Oh, yeah, okay.’ Like, I think the last person who I felt that way about, to be honest, was Conor McGregor.

“When he fought Diego Brandão, like, the way he would control distance, and how he would move, and he would throw the strikes and miss the counter and, like, just that how he puts himself into fire, I see Ilia Topuria do that.”

Quotes via MMA News

Either way, you can bet that Topuria will put on one hell of a show tonight in California.

Are you excited to see what Ilia Topuria can produce in the main event of UFC 298? Do you agree with this assessment from Demetrious Johnson? Let us know your thoughts on this, BJPENN Nation!