“Conor from wish” – Ilia Topuria recreating Conor McGregor’s ‘belt snatch’ moment against Jose Aldo has fans trolling Spaniard

Ilia Topuria channels inner Conor McGregor to replicate his belt snatch moment against Jose Aldo with Alexander Volkanovski.

“Conor from wish” – Ilia Topuria recreating Conor McGregor’s ‘belt snatch’ moment against Jose Aldo has fans trolling Spaniard

Ilia Topuria snatches the featherweight belt off Alexander Volkanovski at the UFC 298 press conference (via X)

The mind games of Ilia Topuria reached a new level at the UFC 298 pre-fight press conference. Right off the bat, ‘El Matador’ and the defending champion Alexander Volkanovski got at each other. However, Topuria’s effort was unsuccessful as ‘The Great’ remained unfazed. So, he went on to snatch the title belt off Volkanovski’s table to provoke him. As such, this instance reminded everyone of UFC superstar Conor McGregor’s altercation with Jose Aldo.

While Ilia Topuria grabbed the belt to instigate anger out of Alexander Volkanovski, he remained calm and composed. He stood up from his chair and went on to have a few words with Topuria. Volk didn’t even try to get the belt back. However, the UFC personnel resolved the situation and returned the belt where it belonged. Returning to his seat, ‘The Great’ had a message for Topuria. Here is what he said:

You might as well take advantage of it now. You’re never going to see it again. Not until I teach you a lesson. Maybe one day you can be a great champion. I’m going to kick your ass first, you’ll learn your lesson, and maybe you can bounce back after that. Until then, get your hands off my belt.
Alexander Volkanovski (via UFC 298 Press Conference)
YouTube video

Further, Alexander Volkanovski called Ilia Topuria a ‘Conor McGregor wannabe.’ This incident reminded the MMA world of Conor McGregor snatching the belt of the then-dominant champion, Jose Aldo. ‘The Notorious’ constantly played Aldo into his antics and won the fight easily via knockout in just 13 seconds. Also, ‘El Matador’ predicted the same fate for Volkanovski, a first-round finish.

FS Video

But Alexander Volkanovski, unlike Jose Aldo, didn’t fall into his rival’s trash-talk or provocations. As such, he looked forward to ‘humbling’ Ilia Topuria on fight night. This fight headlines UFC 298 this weekend at the Honda Center in Anaheim, California.

Fans react to Ilia Topuria snatching Alexander Volkanovski’s belt at the UFC 298 press conference

Alexander Volkanovski cemented his name as one of the great featherweight champions in the UFC. However, he had a young nemesis in front of him in the form of Ilia Topuria. As such, ‘El Matador‘ left nothing on the table regarding infuriating the champion. He took Volkanovski’s belt off him during the pressers and caused a chaotic situation. But, ‘The Great’ handled the situation with utmost calm.

Fans react to Ilia Topuria recreating Conor McGreor's belt snatch moment
Fans react to Ilia Topuria recreating Conor McGreor’s belt snatch moment (via YouTube)

Since this instance of snatching the belt was off the playbook of Conor McGregor, the MMA community went wild on the internet. They shared the clips of it and reacted to it. As such, here are some interesting fan reactions:

Fight fans trolled Ilia Topuria for trying to replicate Conor McGregor. Also, they analyzed Topuria’s antics, which didn’t affect Alexander Volkanovski as ‘The Notorious’ had on Aldo. Anyway, this incident has only increased the hype for this fight, and fans can’t wait to see it. This fight goes down this weekend as the main event of UFC 298.

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