Demetrious Johnson, the UFC flyweight champion who defends his title on the same card that Conor McGregor is fighting on this weekend, had some choice words for the Dubliner.
He's the pound-for-pound fourth best fighter on the planet, the reigning UFC flyweight champion and headlines this weekend's UFC 178 card in Las Vegas, the same event which will see Conor McGregor face what, on paper at least, is his toughest challenge yet but even Demetrious Johnson is a big fan of the Irishman it seems.
Speaking to Ariel Helwani on MMAFighting.com's The MMA Hour yesterday, Johnson was effusive in his praise for the sport's fastest rising star.
"I really, truly appreciate Conor McGregor's style -- his fighting style and the way he talks", the fighter nicknamed Mighty Mouse told Helwani.
"The reason why is because he reminds me of a young Mike Tyson, a young Muhammad Ali, the way he talks", Johnson continued.
"Like, I look at him and I don't see him talking trash. I look at him and I see him talking [about] what he sees, where he's like: 'dude, I'm way faster, I move way better than you do, you're slow, I'm going to hit you hard' -- which, I believe all these things that he says are true. Like, I believe that his fighting style is good, he understands fighting, and not taking anything away from Dustin Poirier -- Dustin Poirier is a huge test -- I can appreciate somebody who can talk that stuff and he'll go in there and he'll back it up.''
Whatever happens, this weekend's UFC 178 is a must-watch for any MMA fan.
