Conor McGregor took aim at Henry Cejudo on Twitter on Friday, calling his fellow former UFC champion a “fat midget novice”.
In 2016, McGregor became the first fighter in UFC history to hold titles in two weight classes simultaneously, having dethroned featherweight champion Jose Aldo in 2015 before also stopping Eddie Alvarez at lightweight one year later.
Cejudo, who won Olympic gold in wrestling for the US in 2008, emulated McGregor’s achievement in 2019, winning the vacant bantamweight belt 10 months after his flyweight title triumph.
Cejudo retired from mixed martial arts in 2020 but has long teased a comeback, wishing to become the UFC’s first ever fighter to have won titles in three weight classes.
While Cejudo (16-2) is widely considered to be one of the greatest fighters in the history of the promotion, McGregor (22-6) is seemingly not a fan. The Irishman took to Twitter on Friday to respond to footage of Cejudo holding a kick pad for Bellator women’s featherweight champion Cris Cyborg, who previously held the UFC belt in that weight class.
“The audacity of this little fat midget novice to be holding a kick pad for Cris Cyborg,” McGregor wrote.
“Look at the state of him omg. Fat midget novice.”
McGregor has since deleted the tweet.
Cejudo’s last fight, in May 2020, saw the American retain his bantamweight title against former champion Dominick Cruz. Cejudo, 35, retired immediately after the victory.
McGregor, meanwhile, last competed in July, suffering a broken leg in his trilogy fight with Dustin Poirier.
Poirier knocked out the Irishman last January to avenge his own knockout loss to “Notorious” from 2014.
McGregor is still recovering from his broken leg but believes a summer return to the Octagon is likely, with the 33-year-old due to start sparring again in April.
