Getty
Retired UFC superstar Conor McGregor is no stranger to getting into viral social media exchanges with other champions, but his latest back-and-forth was a case of two all-time greats in their respective fields sharing a mutual admiration for each other.
McGregor and Real Madrid’s Sergio Ramos exchanged messages via social media after the footballer scored a stunning goal during training and celebrated it by doing McGregor’s famous strut.
Ramos asked McGregor via Instagram: “What do you think, @thenotoriousmma? #HalaMadrid.”
The 34-year-old then added via one of his Instagram stories, “Special celebration @thenotoriousmma style.”
Indeed, McGregor liked what he saw from Real Madrid’s captain.
McGregor posted in response to seeing Ramos pull off McGregor’s famous strut, “My bro Sergiooo!!! Hala tasty shots.”
The story quickly went viral in both the MMA and football communities.
Real Recognizes Real
Both Ramos and McGregor are leaders in their spheres of influence, and they seem to grasp how similar they are to each other.
One of the most prolific defenders in the sport, Ramos has already captured 22 titles in his career, including four Champions Leagues, four Club World Cups, three European Super Cups, five LaLiga titles, two Copas del Rey and four Spanish Super Cups.
Meanwhile, McGregor remains the biggest superstar athlete in MMA despite having just retired two months ago.
Additionally, the 32-year-old has sold more pay-per-views than any other UFC fighter in history, and he was the first UFC fighter ever to simultaneously hold two divisional titles at the same time.
Indeed, both Ramos and McGregor are top-flight celebrity athletes that will someday go down in history among the most accomplished stars their sports have ever seen.
What’s Next for Conor McGregor?
What’s next for McGregor?
That’s the biggest question facing the combat sports world today.
At just 32 years old, McGregor remains MMA’s biggest star and one who theoretically remains in his prime years. While the Irishman retired in June, most people don’t expect his break to last very long.
In fact, even UFC president Dana White expects to see McGregor back inside the cage next year.
Still, McGregor does seem to be enjoying his life away from the sport right now. The fighter was seen taking dives at local swimming holes and riding water bikes with Monaco’s royalty over recent days.
Sure, he still posts videos of himself training here and there, too.
But for the most part, it truly seems as if McGregor is enjoying his retirement.
Conversation Between Megastars Continues
The two megastars continued their social media exchange into the next week.
McGregor posted a video of himself trying to do what Ramos does best. Then, the Irishman asked for the Real Madrid star’s opinion on the matter and received back an offer for a training session.
Who knows what’s next? Maybe Ramos will try his hand at MMA or boxing, too.
They couldn’t really have any better teachers than each other.
Follow the Heavy on UFC Facebook page for the latest breaking news, rumors and content!
READ NEXT: Latest Superstar Emerges as UFC’s ‘God of War’
Twitter: @Kelsey_McCarson
YouTube: Real Talk with Kelsey and Rachel