Midnight Mania! Ilia Topuria under fire after bad Conor McGregor impression: ‘Painful to watch’ | UFC 298

Welcome to Midnight Mania!

Everyone wants to be the next Conor McGregor.

It’s easy to see why! Not only did McGregor capture two belts in excellent style and become the sport’s biggest star, but “The Notorious” is one of the rare few to convert his success in the cage into true generational wealth. Unfortunately, McGregor’s rise to stardom and inspired more than a few copycats over the years.

Fellow Irishman Ian Garry has suffered such accusations.

Most recently, another UFC 298 fighter in Ilia Topuria is the latest to be accused of copying McGregor. At the UFC 298 pre-fight press conference, Topuria reached across the aisle and stole Alexander Volkanovski’s belt, lifting it over his head quite similar to how McGregor infuriated Jose Aldo nearly a decade ago.

Fight fans were not impressed with the McGregor homage. Here’s a sample of the disdain shared on Twitter:

Ilia trying to be Conor the little cringe bag

Most unlikeable fighter in the world

Topuria seemed so fake! It was painful to watch

He is trying to be Conor so bad soon he’ll start speaking irish

At the moment, fight fans are generally unimpressed by Topuria’s big talk and less-than-humble actions. The stakes feel higher than ever for UFC 298, as Topuria’s pre-fight behavior has set him up to explode in popularity or end up a laughing stock depending on the outcome.

LIVE! Watch UFC 298 PPV On ESPN+ Here!

WORLD FEATHERWEIGHT CHAMPIONSHIP! Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) returns to Honda Center in Anaheim, Calif., on Sat., Feb. 17, 2024, for the first time in more than two years with its latest pay-per-view (PPV) show. In the ESPN+-streamed PPV main event, reigning Featherweight roost-ruler, Alexander Volkanovski, will defend his 145-pound strap against undefeated surging Spanish contender, Ilia Topuria. In addition, former Middleweight kingpin, Robert Whittaker, will finally square off with mercurial mauler, Paulo Costa, in UFC 298’s co-feature. UFC 298 will also feature the returns of Ian Garry, Geoff Neal, Henry Cejudo, Merab Dvalishvili and so much more!

Don’t miss a single second of EPIC face-punching action!

• STREAM UFC 298

Insomnia

Merab Mania continues. Frankly, I hope it never ends, these clips are the best.

Potentially big news for our English readers.

I just love that it was Paulo Costa who stepped up to help out Volk.

Ian Garry and Geoff Neal have been surprisingly cordial in their meetings during fight week.

The Light Heavyweight division has a couple new openings.

A trio of Welterweight champions! It’s great to see these three former rivals getting along so well now that their competitive careers have come to an end.

Why is Dan Henderson back in sparring? This concerns me.

Slips, rips, and KO clips

One of the nastiest amateur knockouts I’ve seen in recent memory. That’s a lot of force to absorb for zero dollars ...

Did you know UFC 298’s Anthony Hernandez beat up Brendan Allen to earn his shot on Contenders Series?

You’ve seen walk-off KOs, but have you seen jog-off KOs?

Random Land

Man tried his best!

Midnight Music: Dream pop, 1993

Sleep well Maniacs! More martial arts madness is always on the way.