Conor McGregor is a ‘complete gentleman’ and does NOT get the credit he deserves in Ireland, Katie Taylor claims as boxing champion likens UFC star to Muhammad Ali
- Katie Taylor has lavished praise on ‘complete gentleman’ Conor McGregor
- McGregor and Taylor both share ties with the Crumlin Boxing Club in Dublin
- The pair have reached the summits of their respective sports in recent years
- Yet McGregor divides opinion in Ireland due to several alleged misdemeanours
- Taylor likened the Notorious to Muhammad Ali and said he is worth celebrating
Katie Taylor has lavished praise on ‘complete gentleman’ Conor McGregor, with the Irish boxing champion claiming the UFC superstar does not get the credit he deserves in his homeland.
Taylor and McGregor have both reached the summit of their respective sports and share ties with the Crumlin Boxing Club in Dublin, Ireland.
However, the Notorious divides opinion among those in his homeland, with a series of incidents outside the Octagon – including sexual assault allegations and arrests hampering his image.
Katie Taylor believes that ‘gentleman’ Conor McGregor deserves more credit in Ireland
In 2019, McGregor was captured on CCTV punching an elderly man in a Dublin pub, while two months ago he was accused of assaulting Italian DJ Francesco Facchinetti in Rome.
Yet Taylor believes that McGregor’s achievements ought to be celebrated back home, with the Olympic champion and undefeated boxing star likening the Notorious to Muhammad Ali.
‘I messaged him after the Dustin Poirier fight, just to offer some words of encouragement really,’ Taylor told the MMA Hour.
‘He’s always been a fantastic support to me, but I think he’s just someone who’s actually transcended the sport. He’s like, for me, the Muhammad Ali of the UFC.
McGregor, like Taylor, has reached the summit of his sport from humble beginnings in Dublin
However, a string of alleged misdemeanours has seen him divide opinion back in his homeland
‘He’s just a fantastic athlete. A great businessman as well. But what he’s done in the sport and the UFC has been absolutely incredible, and I don’t think he’s celebrated as much as he should be here in Ireland.
‘I think he is an absolute global superstar and just a phenomenal athlete, and he’s always been a complete gentleman towards me.’
Reflecting on the unsavoury incidents allegedly involving McGregor, Taylor said: ‘I just think he’s had a few controversial moments outside of the cage as well that people obviously didn’t appreciate.
Taylor said he deserves celebrating and likened the Notorious to boxing icon Muhammad Ali
‘But I’m looking at him as just a phenomenal athlete, and someone who I generally think has transcended the sport, someone who’s become bigger than the sport.
‘Nearly every time he does fight, it’s an absolute huge event. He still gets the highest number of pay-per-view figures and he’s still the highest-paid athlete in the UFC.
‘I just look at him as just an outstanding athlete, and I can’t wait to see him come back.’
McGregor is currently sidelined with a broken leg sustained during his UFC 264 defeat by Poirier, and is expected to return next summer. A lightweight title clash against champion Charles Oliveira is being mooted.