"Seems like all he wants to do is put pressure on himself" - Daniel Cormier compares Ilia Topuria's rise to UFC fame to Conor McGregor's
Ilia Topuria's unwavering confidence ahead of his title fight against Alexander Volkanovski has left the MMA world somewhat dumbfounded.
'El Matador' has predicted his UFC 298 clash with 'The Great' to be the easiest fight of his career thus far. Considering that Volkanovski is yet to be defeated at featherweight, the title contender's words are being scrutinized by fans and pundits for possibly being too confident.
Former UFC champion Daniel Cormier recently shared his thoughts on the bravado of Topuria. 'DC' likened the pressure mounting on the Georgian-Spaniard to that experience by Conor McGregor on his epic rise to a featherweight title fight against Jose Aldo.
'The Notorious' relentlessly attacked Aldo with tirades that put McGregor in a position where anything but total success would be deemed as a failure.
Cormier analyzed Topuria's pre-fight talk ahead of UFC 298, and said this:
"Ilia Topuria does not seem to have a problem with [all the talk]. It seems like all he wants to do is put pressure on himself... This dude has said to anyone who will listen how Alexander Volkanovski cannot compete with him."
He continued:
"This reminds me of Conor [McGregor] about to fight Jose Aldo. He told you, and he was so sure that he was gonna get it done. That you knew that if it happened, he would become a star that we had never seen in the UFC before... So when it happened, [McGregor] went to the moon. I feel like Ilia Topuria is setting himself up to have that type of ascent, if he can deliver."
Watch the video below from 7:15:
Alexander Volkanovski shares confident prediction ahead of clash with Ilia Topuria
Next weekend, Alexander Volkanovski will return to the featherweight division to defend the throne he has ruled over since 2019.
His latest defense will come against surging contender Ilia Topuria, who is arguably the most well-rounded threat the 'The Great' has had to contend with at 145 pounds.
With Topuria sharing an ultra-confident prediction ahead of their clash, the featherweight king has now shared one of his own. Volkanovski recently spoke to Michael Bisping about his clash with 'El Matador' on Feb. 17:
"I feel like I can see the finish on the feet, I can see the finish in the grappling. I'm feeling stronger than ever. I really feel like I'm gonna be landing one of these big bombs... He's got good hands, but I believe my hands are better... I feel like I'm getting the finish."
Watch the video below from 37:20: