Conor McGregor has surprisingly heaped praise on Islam Makhachev having branded him a "waffler" prior to his UFC 284 win.
The Irishman has remained active on social media despite having not competed in the UFC since July 2021, where he has frequently traded verbal barbs with a number of fighters on the roster. This includes with UFC lightweight champion Makhachev who touched gloves with Alexander Volkanovski in Australia last weekend.
It was recognised by the UFC rankings that Makhachev and Volkanovski were the pound-for-pound two leading fighters ahead of their main event clash but McGregor was left unimpressed with the claim. He wrote on Twitter prior to the match-up: "Pound-for-pound wafflers."
Makhachev picked up a points victory to retain his UFC lightweight title, with McGregor evidently watching on from home as the two fighters duelled down under. And he issued a surprisingly generous assessment of the event, instead writing: That was a great fight last night lads! No losers at all just winners.
"The Aussie and the Aussie’s showed out and I f***ing loved seeing it! Perth looks f***ing tasty too, now I see why so many Irish are there. I should’ve went out, former titles on the line. Congratulation to all at the UFC." McGregor's new verdict comes after a history of rivalry with Makhachev who has been mentored by the superstar's bitter rival Khabib Nurmagomedov.
The 155lb king has suffered just one defeat in his MMA career and has produced a quicktime rise to the top of the UFC, which has seen him naturally thrust into a potential mega-fight with McGregor. His rival's form has faced a significant downturn in recent years having lost three of his last four fights including against Nurmagomedov.
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McGregor may now be taking a new interest in Makhachev's career after announcing his own return where he will take on Michael Chandler as part of the UFC's latest series of The Ultimate Fighter. A potential fight could be on the cards in the future given the pair are competing at a similar weight, with McGregor likely to try and challenge for the title again before calling time on his career.
And the 31-year-old has opened the door to a future fight insisting that he intends to make a switch to 170lb, which is the division in which McGregor is expected to return. "I'm really happy because I fight for something new," he told MMA Junkie before his win over Volkanovski. "It's not just to defend the belt, I want to be the pound-for-pound best fighter so this is the best way.
"For me it's not just defences, this is my new target, to be No.1. I like this, which is why I've said many times I want to jump to other divisions. When you have a new target it's new motivation. Welterweight is going to happen one day, I'm going to call Dana and say 'hey Dana just put on your mind if you need somebody at 170lb I'm going to be ready'."
