Watch: When Conor McGregor said he would 'slap the head off' Cristiano Ronaldo
Being outspoken is one of the traits that has come to define Conor McGregor. 'The Notorious One' has always been forthright with his opinions, so much so that he once said he would 'slap the head off' Cristiano Ronaldo - jokingly.
McGregor and Ronaldo have been cordial with each other since 2016. The two superstars met for the first time ahead of the Irishman's rematch against Nate Diaz at UFC 202. 'CR7' visited McGregor while he was preparing for the Diaz bout, and decided to step into the octagon to take a few pictures together.
When Conor McGregor was asked about his meeting with the Juventus striker, he heaped praise on him, before jokingly suggesting that the Portuguese player wouldn't stand a chance against him inside the octagon.
"He's a nice guy, he has some shape. He went more abs, I went more lats. I'd slap the head off him but he's a very nice guy and he was in tremendous shape, he's a true athlete," McGregor told BT Sport.
Conor McGregor claimed that Ronaldo texted him after realizing that the Irishman donned his CR7 Underwear at the weigh-ins in 2014. He was headlining the first event of his UFC career against Diego Brandão.
"Cristiano is a phenomenal athlete" - Conor McGregor
Conor McGregor thinks Cristiano Ronaldo's dedication towards excelling in the sport of football is inspiring. The former two-division champion alluded to Ronaldo's stunning hat-trick against Atletico Madrid in 2019, and said that the Portuguese striker is a disciplined athlete at the top of his game.
"Cristiano is a phenomenal athlete, person, and entrepreneur. His all-around discipline, perfectionist attitude, and dedication to his craft is inspiring and has inspired so many young children to play football. Just look what he did recently in the Champions League, at 34 years young, a hat-trick under the lights when the pressure was on for all the marbles. And against Atletico Madrid, one of the best defensive sides in Europe. That is inspiring. We are both disciplined athletes at the top of our game," McGregor told FIFA.com
McGregor suffered the first knockout loss of his career against Dustin Poirier at UFC 257. He is expected to challenge 'The Diamond' in a trilogy fight, which he reportedly wants to take place in May.