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.
Insomnia
Merab Mania continues. Frankly, I hope it never ends, these clips are the best.
Potentially big news for our English readers.
Wayne Rooney is reportedly in early talks with Misfits Boxing as he is contemplating having a one-off fight. [According to @MirrorSport]
— Michael Benson (@MichaelBensonn) February 14, 2024
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.
❌ Fighter removed: Zac Pauga
— UFC Roster Tracker (@RosterTracker) February 16, 2024
❌ Fighter removed: Devin Clark
— UFC Roster Tracker (@RosterTracker) February 15, 2024
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.
During my competitive days, I always had more problems with the Matts.
It’s good to see that this rivalry has turned into friendship. We fought hard and always kept the spirit of martial arts.
Osu! pic.twitter.com/yvd9ITRcBY— Georges St-Pierre (@GeorgesStPierre) February 15, 2024
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.
This story originally appeared on MMA Mania
