AFTER LOSING FOR the first time in the UFC in the early hours of this morning, outspoken featherweight champion Conor McGregor can expect to be dealt plenty of servings of humble pie over the coming days, weeks and months.
McGregor’s five-and-a-half-year undefeated run came to an end when he was submitted by Nate Diaz in Las Vegas, and a whole host of his peers on the UFC roster didn’t hesitate to express their joy at the result via social media.
UFC flyweight champion Demetrious Johnson and Jon Jones, the UFC’s pound-for-pound number one fighter, let their feelings be known via Instagram direct from the MGM Grand Garden Arena.
“So much for being 12345678&9,” said Jones, referring to comments McGregor made earlier this week when asked for his thoughts on who is currently the top fighter in the game.
McGregor said: “I’m number one, two, three, four, five, six, seven, eight, nine… maybe Jon and Mighty Mouse [Demetrious Johnson] is 10. That’s what I feel.”
Jose Aldo, who McGregor knocked out in just 13 seconds in December to win the UFC featherweight title, also had his say, labelling McGregor a “pussy” and calling for a rematch with the Irish fighter at UFC 200 in Las Vegas on 9 July.
McGregor was scheduled to face Rafael dos Anjos this weekend but the lightweight champion withdrew from the bout last week due to a foot injury.
The Brazilian’s message to McGregor was to improve on his jiu-jitsu after he was bettered by Diaz in that department in the sequence that finished the contest.
Dos Anjos, who defeated Nate Diaz in December 2014, also recommended that the Straight Blast Gym fighter should head back to the 145lbs division.
Plenty of other UFC fighters chimed in with their thoughts too and sympathy was in short supply for the beaten Dubliner.