Conor McGregor has joked that he was greeted by just one Dublin Airport staff member when he won his three UFC belts, while Jiri Prochazka got a homecoming of thousands yesterday.
The Irishman has made sporting history on multiple occasions with record-breaking wins over Chad Mendes, Jose Aldo and Eddie Alvarez in his three world title fights. But due to filming commitments on The Ultimate Fighter after his interim featherweight belt win over Mendes, he was forced to delay his trip home.
And he kept his return details private after beating both Aldo and Alvarez for the undisputed featherweight and lightweight straps for fear of overcrowding at the airport. The Irish government infamously refused to put on a major homecoming event for any of McGregor's famous wins, despite holding such occasions for other sporting heroes.
Even his more crowded arrival at Dublin Airport after beating Mendes paled in comparison to what Prochazka received upon his return to the Czech Republic yesterday after winning the light-heavyweight title in Singapore over the weekend. A stage was erected in his hometown of Brno and thousands came to greet the fighter after he dethroned Glover Texeira to win the belt.
And McGregor, who is connected to Prochazka through their management company, Paradigm Sports, joked that he didn't get anything like that reception for any of his famous fights. "All I got was a howya [sic] from Mary in baggage claim," McGregor joked in a tweet showing the Czech fighter's parade, before congratulating his stablemate on a great victory.
Tens of thousands signed petitions for McGregor to be given a homecoming by Dublin County Council after his win over Aldo to unify the featherweight division. But it was to no avail, and he arrived back to minimal fanfare despite his groundbreaking achievement.
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McGregor's popularity in his home country has waned in recent years after a string of controversies outside of the cage. Those issues coincided with a drop of form in the Octagon; he has lost three of his last four fights since winning his lightweight title and has been unable to fight consistently due to injuries.
He is currently recovering from a gruesome broken leg that he suffered in last summer's trilogy bout with Dustin Poirier. The Irishman has returned to kicking in recent days and is expected back towards the end of this year or the beginning of 2023.
McGregor told Mirror Fighting in April that he plots to return at welterweight and has publicly indicated an interest in fighting for an unprecedented third world title. He will have to wait on the outcome of Kamaru Usman's next defence against his Paradigm stablemate Leon Edwards, which takes place on August 20 in Utah.
