During a recent appearance on The MMA Hour show, Katie Taylor called fellow Ireland-based fighter Conor McGregor 'The Muhammad Ali of the UFC'. This has not sat well with several fans who took to Twitter to roast 'KT'.
The late Ali was a pioneer both inside and outside the boxing ring. He is one of the most significant sports people of the 20th century. Meanwhile, McGregor is the biggest star in the mixed martial arts world and he has played a huge part in the sport's rise:
"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. 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," said Taylor.
Watch Katie Taylor in conversation with combat sports journalist Ariel Helwani below:
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Both Taylor and McGregor have trained at the Crumlin Boxing Club in Dublin during various parts of their careers. One fan tweeted out that it was disrespectful for 'The Greatest' to compare him to 'Notorious'.
See how several MMA fans reacted on social media to Katie Taylor calling Conor McGregor 'The Muhammad Ali of the UFC' below:
London 2012 Olympic gold-medallist Taylor, 35, is the current undisputed female lightweight boxing world champion and holds a 20-0 record. She is ranked as the No.1 women's pound-for-pound boxer by both BoxRec and The Ring.
Conor McGregor is currently out of action following the leg injury he suffered against Dustin Poirier at UFC 264
McGregor, on the other hand, last fought fellow lightweight contender Dustin Poirier at UFC 264 in July this year. He lost the main event via TKO after a referee stoppage at the end of round one.
The 33-year-old Irishman suffered a broken leg during the fight and was deemed unfit to continue. He is currently training hard to make a comeback to the octagon as soon as possible.
There is no news yet regarding a probable timeline of his return or his next opponent. A welterweight trilogy with Nate Diaz is among the many possible options for him.