Conor McGregor attended France’s 4-2 win over Croatia in Sunday’s World Cup final in Moscow as a guest of “great leader” Vladimir Putin.
The former UFC champion posted a picture of himself with the Russian President on social media saying he was “honored” to be his guest.
“Today I was invited to the World Cup final as a guest of Russian President Vladimir Putin,” McGregor said. “This man is one of the greatest leaders of our time and I was honored to attend such a landmark event alongside him.
“Today was an honor for me Mr. Putin. Thank you and congratulations on an amazing World Cup.”
McGregor then signed off his message with “Россия вперёд!”, which translates to “Go Russia!”
The Irish fighter, who turned 30 on Saturday, hasn’t returned to the octagon since his debut boxing bout against Floyd Mayweather in August last year.
His apparent amicable meeting with Putin will be seen as controversial, given the Russian President’s stance on certain human rights issues.
But McGregor is no stranger to controversy. The former UFC featherweight and lightweight champion is currently facing legal issues in New York, following an attack on a bus at a UFC event in Brooklyn in April.
McGregor will appear in court on July 26 in relation to the incident.