Conor McGregor has told Ryan Garcia’s detractors to ‘stay out of our ears’ before lumping praise on the 25-year-old fighter, after he stunned the boxing world, to claim a majority decision victory against Devin Haney in Brooklyn on Saturday.
Bedlam ensued in the Barclays Centre arena after the boxer – whose bizarre and troubling antics in the run-up to the fight had concerned many within the sport – knocked the WBC super-lightweight champion to the canvas three times.
Ahead of the fight, the Californian native was seen preparing in his locker room with a string quartet playing in the background. Garcia also posted a video of boxing legend Mike Tyson, who is set to take on Jake Paul in July, dropping by his dressing room to wish him good luck.
After the fight, McGregor posted several pictures of himself greeting Garcia backstage, and lumped praise on the former WBC interim lightweight champion on X (formerly Twitter) for his performance.
‘Yup Jesus and the sesh!’ the former UFC champion wrote. ‘Ya’s know f*** all, peasants, stay out of our ear!’
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Conor McGregor lumped praise on Ryan Garcia on social media after his win vs Devin Haney
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The former UFC champion was seen shaking hands with Garcia backstage during the evening
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McGregor sent a message to the 25-year-old’s detractors writing ‘stay out of our ears’ on X
‘Well in Garcia. An amazing fight from two champions! Have now fought each other 7 times! That’s incredible.
‘Some are just born to fight! Some aren’t. If you aren’t be sure to be a good gatherer cos I be hungry.’
UFC president Dana White announced last week at UFC 300 that McGregor would be making his long-awaited return to the Octagon against Michael Chandler, in a huge match-up in June at UFC 303.
It will mark nearly three years since the last time the 35-year-old fought in the professional fight circuit – suffering a horrific broken leg against Dustin Poirier.
The former UFC featherweight and lightweight champion subsequently lauded both fighters on what was a thrilling match.
‘God speed to both men and teams in this crazy world and congrats Ryan Garcia!’ he added. ‘Tonight is your night, I knew when he fought Tank that this guy was electric. Even in defeat.
‘I went backstage after he’d been stopped to the body last time out. Only his close people were present.
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McGregor was also seen posing ringside with a bottle of his whiskey ‘Proper No 12 ‘
‘A win or a loss will never make or break a person to me. When you know, you know. Fighters know. The real know. God knows!
‘Now the real fight happens for the young man, too! Stay strong kid, believe in the Lord’s guidance and keep it tight like frogs a** in Versace lad hahaha yes! Well in!
‘Jesus is King so don’t go against what he tells you personally and internally. Keep it right and good luck lil’ bro.’
Garcia had raised question marks over his behaviour in the build-up to the fight and had agreed to pay Haney $500,000 for every pound he came in overweight – costing him $1.5million. His failure to reach the weight limit also meant he was ineligible to claim Haney’s WBC welterweight title on the night.
Ryan Garcia celebrates SHOCKING upset win over Devin Haney
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Garcia claimed a shock majority decision victory on Saturday night at the Barclays Centre
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Garcia knocked Haney down three times and claimed a shock win in Brooklyn on Saturday
His erratic and troubling social media posts in recent months had also raised concerns over whether this fight would go ahead. In March, Garcia claimed that he was dead after having his ‘throat slit’, prompting calls for the bout to be cancelled.
He was also involved in a verbal altercation with a member of the audience at Thursday’s pre-fight press conference, following an expletive-laden rant.
After his victory, Garcia hit out at his detractors, stating that they had ‘over-egged everything’ and claimed that he ‘had broken Haney’s jaw’ during the fight.
‘You really thought I was crazy? You all lost your own minds. You guys over-egg everything,’ he said after the fight.
‘I heard that my reputation was on the line, I had everybody thinking I was crazy,’ he said.
‘I’m tripping?’ Garcia asked reporters. ‘You’re always tripping. Not me. You guys are tripping. I was I was the one that was actually with sanity because I’m like, ”Yo, they’re hurting other kids. Let’s help them.”
