"He got the aura" - Lionel Messi's son Thiago hitting the 'Billi strut' draws a plethora of comparisons with Conor McGregor

Lionel Messi’s son Thiago is being praised online for possessing UFC star Conor McGregor’s trademark swagger at a young age. The 11-year-old recently attended the Inter Miami vs Atlanta United game to support his father. However, his presence resonated well with MMA fans online who thought he had McGregor’s aura.

The recently concluded Inter Miami vs Atlanta United match saw Lionel Messi take Miami to the knockout stage with another astonishing performance. The Argentine scored two goals en route to Miami’s thumping 4-0 victory over Atlanta in the Leagues Cup. While football fans were astonished by Lionel's performance, it was his son Thiago that grabbed MMA fans’ attention.

A short video clip of Thiago Messi playing on the ground was posted on A Lionel Messi fan account @WeAreMessi. In the clip, Thiago can be seen moving around with a carefree attitude that best resembled the ‘billionaire strut’ made popular by former UFC double champion Conor McGregor.

The walking style has become synonymous with the go-getter and carefree personality of Conor McGregor. Hence, the MMA fans drew parallels between ‘The Notorious’ and Thiago Messi in the comments section of the video. Here are some of the noteworthy comments:

@FcbMessiii10 responded with a clip of McGregor’s billionaire strut:

“He got the aura,” @ShamsAfif commented.

“Isn’t it McGregor’s walk?” @Tsunami_Arise wrote.

“Conor McGregor fan,” JKS212509 tweeted.

“Is he doing the Conor walk,” @Yonkofcb69 questioned.

@KratosthGoat24 also responded with a gif of McGregor walking like a boss:

"caminata a lo (Walk Along) conor," @JuampyValerga commented.

"That's Conor's walk," @Niklas679 wrote.

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Conor McGregor’s octagon return might be in jeopardy

Conor McGregor has been on the sidelines since suffering a leg break in the Dustin Poirier trilogy fight in July 2021. When it was announced that the Irishman will be coaching opposite Michael Chandler in TUF 31, the prospects of his return started shining bright. TUF coaches typically fight each other after the season’s conclusion.

McGregor had left the USADA testing pool to receive treatment for his leg injury. However, he failed to enter the USADA testing pool within the deadline to be able to make a 2023 comeback.

This delay has put a big question mark on the former double champion’s return. In a recent interview with MMA Junkie, McGregor’s manager Audie Attar refused to rule out a 2023 return but stated that his client is most likely to fight in 2024.

“We can’t rule out at the end of the year but I think just in terms of where we are right now in terms of the date, it’s likely going to be 2024. That’s what the UFC has their sights set on. So, you know, we’ll see exactly when that will be,” Audie Attar stated.

Conor McGregor's activity level has significantly reduced since returning from the massive crossover fight against Floyd Mayweather. However, the intrigue around his comeback shows that he is still the biggest mixed martial arts star by a huge margin.