Ilia Topuria is regarded as one of the most popular superstars active in the UFC right now. Notably, Topuria’s popularity was compared to Conor McGregor’s by Daniel Cormier, who believes the Irishman’s stardom was unmatchable.

‘El Matador’ is a two-divisional UFC champion. After winning the featherweight championship and defending it against Max Holloway, Topuria moved up to the lightweight division, where he won the vacant title by defeating Charles Oliveira at UFC 317.

With a dominating win streak and popularity in the MMA community, many likened Topuria to ‘The Notorious’. However, in a recent discussion on the Good Guy / Bad Guy show, Cormier addressed the comparisons, saying:

“I think it’s unfair to compare people to Conor McGregor. I don’t think anybody will ever reach that level of stardom. But I believe if there’s a category that you can compare Ilia to Conor, it’d be just the fact that he had all the hype and he lived up to it. I don’t know if he will ever become the star Conor was, but I believe he has lived up to the hype and expectation at a level that was thrust on him from the moment he got to the UFC.”

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Chael Sonnen highlights distinctions between Ilia Topuria and Conor McGregor

Although Conor McGregor is currently away from the UFC octagon, he was once one of the most prominent fighters in the organization. Notably, the Irishman was the first person to become a UFC double champion, holding both the featherweight and lightweight titles simultaneously.

In a video on his YouTube channel, UFC Hall of Famer Chael Sonnen highlighted a significant difference between ‘The Notorious’ and Ilia Topuria, saying:

“The comparisons are uncanny. Not to mention same weight classes, but one was a double champ and one was a two-time champ… There, there’s something about that I must tell you really bothers me because it’s wrong. [Ilia Topuria] is not a double champion. He’s a two-time champion.” [0:25 of the video]