Ilia Topuria’s confidence reminds Daniel Cormier of Conor McGregor ahead of UFC 298: “This dude has updated his bio with another win”
UFC 298 headliner Ilia Topuria has confidence the levels of Conor McGregor, says UFC Hall of Famer Daniel Cormier.
Topuria will be challenging Alex Volkanovski for the UFC Featherweight Championship on February 17. The action will be held inside the Honda Center in Anaheim, California. Ahead of the title fight, Topuria hasn’t been shy in talking trash about not just the 145-pound titleholder, but the entire featherweight division. It’s led many to believe that “El Matador” is either in for a meteoric rise, or an embarrassing fall.
Whether you like the banter from Topuria or not, it’s giving Cormier some Conor McGregor vibes.
Daniel Cormier On Ilia Topuria’s Confidence
Cormier uploaded a new video on his YouTube channel where he discussed how Ilia Topuria isn’t shying away from the attention that his words have garnered. He thinks the challenger knows it’s boom or bust (h/t Middle Easy).
“It seems like all [Ilia Topuria] wants to do is put pressure on himself. This dude has now said he’s releasing a movie on becoming the champion of the world, this dude has updated his [social media] bio with another win and he’s now the UFC featherweight champion, this dude has stated he wants to fight in the same stadium where Real Madrid plays football in Spain, this dude has said to anyone that will listen how Alexander Volkanovski can not compete with him. Most people under these circumstances want to release the pressure, not this dude.”
Cormier went on to compare Topuria’s confidence level to that of a “Notorious” megastar.
“[Topuria’s confidence] reminds me of Conor [McGregor] about to fight Jose Aldo. He told you, and he was so sure that he was going to get it done that you knew that if it happened, he would become a star that we’ve never seen in the UFC before or in fighting. So, when it happened, he went to the moon. I feel like Ilia Topuria is setting himself up to have that type of ascent if he can deliver on all of the promises that he is making.”
Here is Daniel Cormier’s full video on the confidence that Ilia Topuria has:
