5 times that Conor McGregor was surprisingly classy to a bitter rival
Conor McGregor is undoubtedly one of the best trash-talkers in UFC history, and so it's unsurprising that many of his rivalries have become highly bitter and personal.
Despite Conor McGregor’s willingness to get personal with his rivals, ‘The Notorious’ has also shown class towards his foes at times, albeit usually sometime after he’s fought them.
This suggests that while he’s brash, and at times highly vitriolic, the Irishman has a high level of respect for even his most bitter rivals.
Here are five times when Conor McGregor was surprisingly classy to a bitter rival.
#5. Conor McGregor vs. Khabib Nurmagomedov
It’s arguable that Conor McGregor’s greatest rival, both inside and outside the octagon was Khabib Nurmagomedov.
‘The Eagle’ famously defeated McGregor to retain his UFC lightweight title in October 2018, but the build-up to the fight had become very personal.
Both fighters exchanged barbs on social media that bordered on offensive at times, and unforgettably, ‘The Notorious’ and some of his teammates had even launched an attack on a bus carrying Khabib before he fought Al Iaquinta at UFC 223.
Even after their bout was over, it seemed that nothing had been settled. An infamous melee broke out after the fight, and in the months that followed, McGregor and Khabib continued to poke at each other on social media.
When Khabib hung up his gloves in October 2020 after his win over Justin Gaethje, though, ‘The Notorious’ changed his tune somewhat.
He took to Twitter to pay tribute to the performance of ‘The Eagle’, and even offered his condolences to the Dagestani fighter over the loss of his father, who had passed away earlier that year.
Good performance @TeamKhabib.
I will carry on.
Respect and condolences on your father again also. To you and family.
Yours sincerely, The McGregors.
It’s likely that these two rivals will never truly bury the hatchet, but this was a classy gesture from McGregor that reminded fans that sometimes, he’s not so ‘Notorious’ after all.
#4. Conor McGregor vs. Donald ‘Cowboy’ Cerrone
One opponent who never seemed to draw the ire of Conor McGregor was Donald ‘Cowboy’ Cerrone. The two men locked horns in January 2020 but first exchanged some verbal barbs all the way back in 2015.
Back then, ‘The Notorious’, who was still competing as a featherweight, told the 155lbs Cerrone that he was “too slow and too stiff” to ever beat him, and suggested that he looked like he was “stuck in the mud” when he was in the octagon.
Cerrone naturally responded, suggesting that the fighters of the lightweight division would be too strong for the Irishman.
However, when the two were finally matched with one another, McGregor was short on any verbal warfare and instead, showed nothing but respect to ‘Cowboy’.
Watch: UFC 246 Press Conference – Conor McGregor vs. Donald Cerrone | themaclife.com/featured-posts… https://t.co/DOksZklrfJ
Instead of insulting him, he admitted how much respect he had for Cerrone, and predicted that while blood would be spilled in their fight, “it would not be bad blood."
Cerrone, for his part, seemed happy enough to avoid any trash talk too, and when it was time for the customary staredown, he simply posed with the Irishman like they were co-stars in a movie.
Overall, this was a fascinating example of how respectful and classy McGregor could be prior to a bout, although it didn’t stop him from defeating Cerrone in under a minute when they finally stepped into the octagon.
#3. Conor McGregor vs. Nate Diaz
Inside the octagon – and even during their pre-fight press conferences – the rivalry between Conor McGregor and Nate Diaz was anything but classy.
The two men made a ridiculous amount of money together during their 2016 fights, which saw Diaz choke McGregor out before the Irishman avenged his defeat five months later in a five-round epic.
However, it was clear that they were never going to see eye-to-eye, and the incident that saw them launch cans of energy drinks at one another before their rematch at UFC 202 was unsavoury to say the least.
In 2019, though, McGregor showed that he did have respect for the Stockton-based fighter when he took to Instagram to congratulate him on his triumphant return to the UFC.
Diaz had come back from three years away to defeat Anthony Pettis in a tremendous performance, and it didn’t take ‘The Notorious’ long to comment.
He congratulated Diaz on his win and then stated that it would provide him motivation for his own comeback. McGregor went onto praise Diaz’s fighting style and then claimed that he’d be “prepared for it when we go again."
As of the time of writing, McGregor and Diaz have not taken to the octagon to complete their trilogy – but based on this classy social media post, it’s clear that ‘The Notorious’ does respect one of his biggest rivals.
#2. Conor McGregor vs. Dustin Poirier
One of Conor McGregor’s greatest rivals is undoubtedly Dustin Poirier. The two men have fought on three occasions in the octagon, with McGregor knocking ‘The Diamond’ out back in 2014 before Poirier avenged that loss twice in 2021.
However, while the rivalry became personal prior to their second bout at UFC 257, with ‘The Notorious’ even taunting Poirier by claiming his wife was “in his DM’s”, things changed after the fight.
Despite McGregor suffering the first knockout loss of his career, he was quick to congratulate ‘The Diamond’ the day after the fight, with the two men exchanging a cordial and respectful exchange.
After shaking hands and discussing the bout – with McGregor admitting that Poirier’s leg kicks had done some serious damage to him – ‘The Notorious’ was quick to state that he’d been “honoured” to fight his rival.
"We'll do it again!"
All respect between Conor McGregor and Dustin Poirier after #UFC257.
You can see the damage those leg kicks did 😳 https://t.co/6m9SJeCpkg
It was a tremendous moment between two tremendous fighters. While they returned to trash-talking prior to their third meeting, it was still impressive to see McGregor show such class after a defeat.
#1. Conor McGregor vs. Jose Aldo
Conor McGregor is a rare example of a fighter who became a star for the UFC before he’d even pulled off any major wins.
However, if any victory pushed him over the edge and turned him into the biggest star the promotion had ever seen, it was his 2015 knockout of Jose Aldo.
‘The Notorious’ needed just 13 seconds to take out the Brazilian, who hadn’t lost in over a decade, claiming his featherweight title in the process.
Naturally, the bout was preceded by literally months of trash talk from the Irishman. Essentially, he got into Aldo’s head and made him pay.
However, in the years that have followed McGregor’s victory, it’s become apparent quite how much respect the Irishman has for his former rival.
After Aldo defeated Pedro Munhoz in an impressive showing in 2021, for instance, ‘The Notorious’ instantly took to Twitter to brand him a “real legend”.
Jose Aldo is a real legend.
When Aldo was recently inducted into the UFC’s Hall of Fame, meanwhile, McGregor again decided to speak out, simply stating the word “earned!” on his Twitter feed.
Given that the Brazilian was an opponent dispatched by ‘The Notorious’ in mere seconds, it would’ve been easy for McGregor to continue to throw barbs his way. The fact that he’s shown so much respect to Aldo, though, should be seen as a demonstration of his classy side.