Ilia Topuria: "Fake it, imitate it till you make it": Fans react as Ilia Topuria's pre-fight warmup at UFC 308 draws Conor McGregor comparisons

Ilia Topuria's pre-fight warmup at UFC 308 has caught the attention of MMA fans, with some drawing comparisons to Conor McGregor's own pre-fight rituals.

Last month, Topuria was tasked with defending his featherweight title against Max Holloway. 'El Matador' then stunned fans around the world as he finished 'Blessed' in the third round, becoming the first fighter to ever knockout the Hawaiian native.

Following Topuria's win, a video has been doing the rounds on social media that shows the Georgian-Spaniard doing his pre-fight warmup whilst Bruce Buffer talks on the mic. The video then cuts to Conor McGregor's warmup before his UFC 205 clash against Eddie Alvarez, with both fighters appearing to do very similar mannerisms.

Watch the video here:

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Fans have since been reacting to the video, with one of them writing:

"Fake it, imitate it till you make it - that's art"

Another fan said:

"Dude has a clear idol. Respect to it but you can tell he looked up to Conor growing up."

Another added:

"Bro hit CTRL+C, CTRL+V and it worked"

One fan wrote:

"That’s sick— showing respect for the guy who inspired him."

Another said:

"What do they say....Imitation is the most sincere form of flattery"

X user @jlpinvestor wrote:

"Everyone copies McGregor"

Check out more reactions here:

Kamaru Usman keen on seeing Ilia Topuria vs. Conor McGregor

Kamaru Usman believes the UFC could create one of the biggest fights in history, if they booked Ilia Topuria vs. Conor McGregor next.

Topuria is riding high after knocking out Max Holloway to defend his featherweight title at UFC 308 last month. McGregor is also gearing up for his UFC return and is expected to be back in action in early 2025.

Whilst current reports suggest an Alexander Volkanovski rematch is next on the cards for Topuria, Usman believes the organization should cash in on 'El Matador's rising star power. Speaking on a recent episode of his Pound 4 Pound podcast, 'The Nigerian Nightmare' said:

"[Topuria] is delivering. He comes off [brash and overconfident] but that's all the recipe of what you need of a disruptor, of a star. So to send him to the moon right now, why not give him Conor at [155 pounds]? ... Why not give him Conor? ... A stadium in Spain. He becomes the next Conor McGregor."

Check out Kamaru Usman's comments here (15:30):

About the author

Will began his tenure at Sportskeeda as an MMA writer over 2 years ago and has penned over 1800 pieces so far, including 35+ exclusives, which have garnered close to 5 million views.

Will graduated with a bachelor’s degree in Media and Communications from Bournemouth University, where he was also a valued member of their communications team. His degree heavily focused on social media and writing, which eventually led him toward sports writing.

He turned into an MMA fan after witnessing Conor McGregor’s 13-second TKO win over Jose Aldo at UFC 194 in 2015. The Irishman sits at the top of his list of top-five MMA fighters of all time, which also includes world champions like Demetrious Johnson, Michael Bisping, Max Holloway, and Georges St-Pierre.

Will especially enjoys working on event days and feels his contribution to Sportskeeda’s UFC 300 coverage was one of the high points of his time with the organization. He ensures his articles are accurate by going through multiple sources, which also helps his writing be as informative as possible.

His interests away from work include football, gaming, live streaming, and listening to music.

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Edited by Tejas Rathi