Conor McGregor has denied claims he would land a "dishonourable" elbow shot on a UFC rival if they are knocked out cold.
The UFC superstar has been out of action for almost two years since breaking his leg in a loss to Dustin Poirier in July 2021. However he will finally return this year against UFC contender Michael Chandler as part of the promotion's latest series of The Ultimate Fighter, with filming having already begun in Las Vegas.
Despite being sidelined, McGregor has frequently come out swinging on social media and this week was no different when he posted a video of him training with UFC legend Stephen 'Wonderboy' Thompson. During the footage, McGregor can be seen using a left elbow shot, which reminded fans of his Cage Warriors KO of Ivan Buchinger.
The Irishman dropped his opponent to become two-division champion, but with his rival unconscious on the canvas McGregor attempted to land a huge elbow. However after realising his rival was knocked out and unable to continue, he was pushed away by the referee just as he was about to land another damaging blow.
Despite the video suggesting otherwise, McGregor has insisted he never intended to throw the shot despite the referee's intervention. He tweeted: "I was never going to hit here. Fighters that do this are dishonourable in my opinion. It’s so much smoother to recognise the KO and billi walk off."
MMA fighters are often in a position to hit fighters who are knocked out cold and given the UFC's ground-and-pound element, it can often be difficult for fighters to determine whether they are able to strike again unless the referee prevents further action.
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McGregor will be hoping for a trademark finish to revive his UFC career given he has now suffered three losses in his last four fights in the cage. And the Irishman is typically full of confidence and believes he has the tools to slice through the challenge of his rival when the showdown is scheduled.
He told TheMacLife: "I think I'm going slice through him. I think I'm a little too slicy for him, more than anyone else he's fought. A little too snappy and whippy and I think I'll slice through him. I like Michael, I had a good little buzz with him yesterday. I've no issues with him at all. I think he's a good fighter.
"Coaching against him, I'm interested to see his coaching style, he's more of an athlete type of a guy than a technical martial artist. I know he's got some skills in the wrestling department, he's got some skills overall, but as far as the small, finer details - I'm not sure, I'm interested to see."
