Conor McGregor has paid homage to Eric Cantona's infamous 'kung-fu kick' by naming one of his MMA strikes after the Manchester United legend.
Former two-weight UFC champion McGregor, who is a boyhood United fan, posted an old clip of him sparring a teammate at his gym in Dublin. In the video, 'Notorious' can be seen landing an impressive kick followed by a knee and he likened the sequence to Cantona's 'kung-fu kick' by writing: "I call this shot the 'ooh aah cantona!' Jumping back side kick followed by a jump knee straight to the solar plexus. Shots of a real baller".
Cantona, who guided United to five Premier League titles in five years, was at the centre of worldwide controversy when he kicked and punched a crowd member after being sent off in a 1995 match against Crystal Palace. The Frenchman, who said his only regret from the incident was not kicking the fan harder, was fined £10,000 and banned for eight months by the FA for the attack.
McGregor couldn't afford a Manchester United kit growing up, but shared his ambitions to buy the club earlier this year. Also teasing bids for Chelsea and Liverpool, the UFC star put his name forward when fans protested the Glazer family's ownership of United earlier this year.
"I do not speak in jest. I am exploring this, as I said. Celtic from Dermot Desmond, Manchester United from the Glaziers, and now the recently up for sale Chelsea football club. All being explored. A football franchise purchase is in my future make no mistake about it. "Everyday I ball. How wouldn’t I lead a team of young, dedicated athletes to glory. I’m perfect for the job. Pray it’s your team," McGregor wrote.
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'Notorious' has been absent from the UFC since breaking his leg against Dustin Poirier in their trilogy last July. It marked the Irishman's second consecutive defeat to Poirier having been stopped by his rival in their January rematch, which took place seven years after their first fight.
McGregor is expected to return at welterweight having piled on a lot of muscle since his leg injury. The 34-year-old will likely need to complete six months of drug testing before being eligible to make his UFC return, despite his plans to bypass the mandatory rule. No opponent has yet been announced for McGregor's comeback fight but the frontrunners include Michael Chandler, Jorge Masvidal and Tony Ferguson.
