"Right now, in this sport, he’s nobody” - Ilia Topuria shares bold callout of Conor McGregor ahead of UFC 298 clash with Alexander Volkanovski

Ilia Topuria's confidence continues to rear its head as he prepares for his title fight against Alexander Volkanovski on Feb. 17.

The pair are set to headline UFC 298, but 'El Matador' has already taken to calling out the biggest name in MMA, Conor McGregor, during a recent interview.

There have been some comparisons made between the surging featherweight contender and the Irishman, both physically and psychologically. Topuria's back tattoo is immensely similar to that of McGregor's and the Georgian-Spaniard's confidence has also be likened to that of 'The Notorious'.

Former champion Daniel Cormier recently shared his belief that 'El Matador' was setting himself up for his own "Conor McGregor moment," should he defeat Volkanovski this weekend.

Ahead of this weekend's title clash, the surging contender was interviewed by Fight Hub TV, where he called out McGregor:

"We can fight without a weight limit... I don't see any fight that makes more sense for him and for me, at this point. Look at the past, what has he done in the last four years? He hasn't beaten anyone. He's lost so many fights."

He continued:

"He lives and he survives in this sport because of everything he has achieved in the past. Right now, in this sport, he's nobody. I don't know if he's even ranked. If he feels ready for this level of competition and he wants to put his name here, I'm the fight without any doubt."

Watch Ilia Topuria's interview below from 9:55:

---

Israel Adesanya predicts Alexander Volkanovski vs. Ilia Topuria

UFC 298 is set to feature a number of exciting matchups, including a featherweight title fight between Alexander Volkanovski and Ilia Topuria.

'El Matador' holds an undefeated record of 14-0 and has trailblazed his way through the division en route to his first title shot. Topuria is fully confident he will defeat the long-reigning champion of the divison, and stated that his clash with 'The Great' will be his easiest fight yet.

Volkanovski's teammate, Israel Adesanya, has now shared his thoughts on the upcoming title fight. He compared the clash to his own fight against Paulo Costa at UFC 253, and said this:

"I said the same thing, 'Costa is only good because he fights punching bags.' Alex is not gonna be on the fence, he's not gonna be by the fence. Alex's spacial awareness when he's in the octagon is second-to-none... Alexander 'The Great' Volkanovski, I'm gonna go late-stoppage, round four."

Watch the prediction below from 10:00: