Ilia Topuria has quickly risen to become one of the most fierce fighters in the UFC since joining the promotion in 2020. He is now gearing up to face Alexander Volkanovski for the undisputed featherweight championship at UFC 298. Given how much impact the Georgian-Spaniard has had in the 145-pound division, let us take a look at a few reasons why Topuria could become the next big star in Dana White‘s promotion after Conor McGregor.

The Georgian-Spaniard showed a lot of confidence during the recent UFC 298 press conference and has predicted a win over the legendary Alexander Volkanovski this weekend. Meanwhile, if we take a look at his record so far, there is something eerily similar to former double champion Conor McGregor. Let’s take a look at that front.

Ilia Topuria shares similar UFC record as Conor McGregor ahead of his first title fight

When Conor McGregor joined the UFC, he was one of the most hyped newcomers in the promotion. He joined the promotion with a 12-2 record but then went on an undefeated streak before getting the chance to fight Jose Aldo at UFC 194 for the featherweight title. Now, when we look at Ilia Topuria, he came to Dana White’s promotion with an 8-0 record, which was six fights less than ‘The Notorious’. But he amassed a similar record in the UFC with a 6-fight winning streak, while remaining undefeated.

Also, it is important to note that while Ilia Topuria is gearing up to fight Alexander Volkanovski for the undisputed title with a 14-fight winning streak in his overall record, Conor McGregor also fought for the undisputed title after 14 straight wins in his overall record as well. In addition to that statistic, Topuria got his title shot at 27 years of age, similar to ‘The Notorious’ who fought Jose Aldo when he was just 27 years old. If that reason is not enough to make a case for ‘El Matador’ becoming the next big thing in the UFC, the next reason will be.

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‘El Matador’ pulled a McGregor-esque stunt at the UFC 298 presser

Conor McGregor gained notoriety for playing mind games with his opponents. His mental warfare with Jose Aldo has become a folklore in UFC history. Ahead of the fight at UFC 194, McGregor and the Brazilian Hall of Famer had an intense back-and-forth during the pre-fight press conference. Besides, there was a lot of heat between the two in the buildup to the pay-per-view. The Irishman decided to rile up his opponent as he went on to snatch Aldo’s championship strap and raise it for the crowd to cheer on. This is one of the most memorable moments involving McGregor. Surprisingly (or maybe not so surprisingly), Ilia Topuria pulled off a similar stunt at the UFC 298 press conference.

Alexander Volkanovski stole the show during the presser after putting in an ‘old man’ gimmick, as an attempt to steer into the skid with all the insults about him being too old. The crowd seemed to love it. However, Ilia Topuria was not going to miss the opportunity to create a moment for himself.

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Seemingly fed up with Volkanovski’s antics and the gimmick, the Georgian-Spaniard proceeded to do what no other former rival has ever done to ‘The Great’. Topuria moved to the other side of the stage and grabbed the belt. Although he got a mixed reaction from the crowd, it will surely remain one of the most daring things that anybody has tried on Volkanovski. Now, let us take a look at the final reason why there is a possibility that Topuria could become the next big superstar in Dana White’s promotion.

The fan support for Topuria has been similar to Conor McGregor

There is no doubt that Conor McGregor has the whole Irish masses in the palm of his hand. People travel across the world from the Emerald Isle to witness him in action inside the Octagon. Moreover, almost every press conference McGregor has been a part of has consisted of more of his fans than any other fighter who sits on the stage. This kind of support is what has propelled him to the status of a superstar, not just in the UFC, but also in the whole sport of mixed martial arts. Now, when we look at Ilia Topuria, he has a similar fan base as well.

Ilia Topuria arrived in the South West European nation of Spain 15 years ago. Although there are people back home in Georgia who support him, the majority of the supporters are from Spain. Topuria recently shared a tweet where he thanked the fans for the outpouring of love and backing him and he even mentioned his wish earlier to bring the UFC to Spain. Furthermore, ‘El Matador’ also has the support of some of Spain’s biggest athletes, including Real Madrid soccer legend Sergio Ramos and 22-time Grand Slam champion Rafael Nadal. They have been vocal about rooting for Topuria to bring the UFC championship home.

Although the aforementioned reasons make a case for Ilia Topuria becoming the biggest UFC star in the future, we still don’t know how the fight against Alexander Volkanovski will turn out. The Aussie champion has been on a roll with an impressive title reign that started back in 2019. So far, nobody has been able to dethrone the featherweight kingpin, but will Topuria be the one? We will find that out at the Honda Center on February 17.

“Who Needs UFC 300?” – Ilia Topuria Drops the Act to Convey His Real Intention With Alexander Volkanovski; Fans React