Max Holloway Slams Conor McGregor 'Copycat' Ilia Topuria

UFC 308 News: Holloway accuses Topuria of trying to steal Conor McGregor's 'aura'.

McGregor (Instagram) / Holloway (MMA Junkie) / Topuria (FaceBook)

Conor McGregor laid the blueprint for success in MMA, and there's no blaming professional fighters for trying to recreate his immense success.

Despite this, UFC featherweight champion Ilia Topuria has been scrutinized for his resemblance to McGregor, down to his attitude and even his tattoos. He fights Max Holloway this weekend at UFC 308, and 'Blessed' feels that Topuria's persona is too on the nose.

McGregor / Topuria

Holloway: 'Copycat' Topuria is Trying to Steal McGregor's Aura

Speaking at the UFC 308 media day, Holloway called out Topuria for being a 'copycat':

"This guy's a copycat," Holloway remarked. "Down to the tattoos, to his aura, to the way he's approaching fights, the guy's a copycat. ... He's just trying to steal stuff. He's already trying to steal [McGregor's] aura, and now he's trying to steal somebody else's thing."

Topuria infamously stole Alexander Volkanovski's belt and labelled himself the featherweight champion before their title fight at UFC 298. He knocked Volkanovski out in the second round, cashing in on the popularity. Now, all the chips are on the table as he faces Max Holloway in the main event of UFC 308, a fight Topuria believes he'll make look easy.

"I really feel that I'm better than him," Topuria told Main Event TV. "I feel like I'm bringing the evolution of the game. His striking is really good but I think that I bring the next level of the striking.

"...I bring the next level of wrestling, the next level of the ground game so I'm going to make a huge difference, trust me I'm going to make him look easier than the people think"

Read More UFC & MMA News

• Ilia Topuria Explain 3-Year Plan to Become UFC GOAT
  
  
• Ex-UFC Champ Predicts Ilia Topuria vs. Max Holloway Title Fight
  
  
• UFC Cuts Two-Promotion Champion after Back-To-Back Short Notice Fights
  
  
• Popular UFC Fighter Hints at Future Bare-Knuckle Boxing Career
  
  

Stick with MMAKnockout for more FREE coverage of the UFC, MMA, Boxing, WWE, and AEW. Follow MMAKnockout on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.