UFC light heavyweight fighter Askar Mozharov seems to be having a rough time in his transition to mainstream MMA. Ahead of his Octagon debut on Saturday at UFC Vegas 56, it was revealed that “No Mercy” supposedly had a fake and padded professional record, and that some of his wins and losses were altered.
After such claims came to light, Mozharov’s 25-7 record was then changed to 19-12, which is said to be the more accurate slate. Now, he’s facing new criticisms involving his choice of a chest tattoo design.
Apparently, many have pointed out the likeness of his gorilla ink to that of UFC star Conor McGregor’s, and if you look close enough, there are, indeed, resemblances. The 27-year-old fighter, however, denied copying “The Notorious.”
“No this is not Conor McGregor’s [tattoo]. Guys, this is the same style, old school but another picture. Actually, in my country people know me as the Ukrainian Conor McGregor but this is different, I like Conor but I am Askar,” he said via The Irish Mirror and MMA Mania.
Mozharov’s UFC debut also didn’t end well, as he suffered a first-round TKO loss to Alonzo Menifield.