MMA fighter and Conor McGregor wannabe was once embarrassed after petty antics

Conor McGregor has inspired a generation of mixed martial artists who want to be like 'The Notorious', some of whom treat their tribute act more seriously than others.

Enter, rising German star Maurice Adorf, who could be considered the closest thing UFC star McGregor has to a doppelganger in the MMA community.

Adorf, 26, is 5-1 in his early career and has fought at featherweight and lightweight, the two divisions in which McGregor became UFC champion prior to bulking up this winter.

Everything from the haircut to the mannerisms and the tattoos across Adorf's chest and left arm are clearly influenced by McGregor.

Even the way Adorf traditionally enters the ring and a tendency to rely on boxing and fast footwork as his main weapons are signs of the Dubliner's impact on his approach.

And the homage goes so far as to mimic McGregor's trademark cockiness both inside and outside the octagon, though not always with the desired end result.

At its best, the braggadocios act can help fighters garner attention, attract fans and intimidate their opponents.

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But at its worst, mixed martial artists can be made to look naive if they don't back up those actions in the cage, a risk to which Adorf was made painfully aware in November 2019.

The stand-up specialist had spent part of the build-up to his bout opposite Alexander Wiens mouthing off to his compatriot, even placing his fist in his face at the weigh-ins.

That arrogance carried through to fight night, but he failed to back it up when he was knocked out with a brutal head kick in a little more than one minute.

Adorf's air of invincibility showed as he walked down Wiens with a high but open guard, shattered seconds later when the latter delivered a straight right to send the McGregor lookalike reeling.

Adorf entered the clash with a 2-0 record but suffered the first setback of his MMA career, surviving for 64 seconds before Wiens' head kick led to the fight's conclusion.

The former football prospect—who spent time in the youth set-ups of clubs like Overhausen, Essen and Wuppertal before calling time on that career—has since recovered, however.

Less than a month after recording his first defeat, Adorf got back on the win trail by beating Yoann Soudan with a second-round TKO.

He's since moved up to lightweight in the German MMA Championship (GMC) and won his divisional debut against Ali Almasha'leh in August 2020, though he hasn't fought again since.

Wiens (4-1-1), on the other hand, hasn't been inaction since he became the first to better Adorf more than two years ago.

Despite the comparisons with McGregor, it's worth highlighting Adorf's 5-1 record is actually superior to the 4-2 record The Notorious held after his first six professional fights.

Germany isn't regarded as a prolific breeding ground for mixed martial artists, but there's little stopping Adorf from perfecting his craft to blaze a trail for his country.

While McGregor is 33 and rounding towards the end of his fight career, there may be room for a certain lookalike to one day pick up where he left off.

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