Conor McGregor and Gordon Ryan’s friendship is something unheard of in the realm of combat sports. But when celebrating his triumphant win at the WNO 20, Ryan’s first pick was McGregor’s very own ‘Proper Twelve.’ Stepping out of his otherwise ‘Notorious’ persona, what unfolded after this was a display of exceptional camaraderie among two of the most revered mixed martial artists.

A celebration with ‘Proper Twelve’ definitely caught McGregor’s eye, and he was quick to send his congratulations to the BJJ g.o.a.t. In response, Ryan shared a touching message for the Irishman, an unlikely friendship or ‘esprit de corps?

Conor McGregor congratulates Gordon Ryan on victory and ‘The King’ responds with gratitude

Conor McGregor took to his Instagram story congratulating Gordon Ryan for his win against Patrick Guido, triggered by Ryan’s victory celebration with a ‘Proper twelve’ whiskey from the mystery box that he was carrying around. The Irishman shared a story with Ryan’s photo and added “Congrats on the win”.

The ‘King’ who just added another feather to his long list of victories in his response to the former dual weight champion re-shared McGregor’s story and captioned it as “We should all be thanking Conor for all he’s done for the sport. Not just MMA either”

Ryan and McGregor have made names for themselves by predicting the outcomes of their fights. ‘The King’ is well-known for foretelling the specific submission he intends to inflict on his opponents. In his inimitable fashion, The Notorious anticipates the exact methodology he will employ to defeat his challengers. His showdown with Jose Aldo serves as a prime example of this.

Although McGregor’s return to the cage has been pushed back further, echoing Ryan’s emotions, the champion is still making strides for his sport outside the octagon.

McGregor earns coveted BJJ black belt from mentor John Kavanagh

The reigning dual-weight champion notched another remarkable achievement onto his already illustrious record. Following considerable anticipation, ‘Notorious’ proudly announced on his Instagram account that he had been bestowed with a coveted BJJ black belt by his dedicated longtime mentor, John Kavanagh.

He added on his Instagram “ Received my black belt tonight from my coach, friend, and mentor, @coach_kavanagh of @sbgireland! 20 years of hard work! Thank you John for everything over the years, and to all of my team mates throughout this incredible jiu jitsu journey! Thank you all so much from the bottom of my heart! A Brazilian jiu jitsu black belt, wow! Praise be to God and then Helio. I’ll be in the Gi in it tomorrow Helio, I promise, and I cannot wait!! What a buzz.”

McGregor has yet to secure a significant victory since 2018. He has fought only thrice and has suffered defeat at the hands of Dustin Poirier and Khabib Numragomedov. Nonetheless, the champ seems to be back with a bang and is expecting to have some action but his return is still in the shadows.

What do you think? Will McGregor’s return will be a good one? Do tell us in the comments below.

Watch this story: How Many Kids Islam Makhachev Has?