Conor McGregor reacts to UFC 284 main event as Islam Makhachev outpoints Alexander Volkanovski

Volkanovski narrowly missed out on adding the lightweight belt to his featherweight title – a feat achieved by McGregor in 2016

Conor McGregor has heaped praise on Islam Makhachev and Alexander Volkanovski following their main event at UFC 284.

Makhachev narrowly outpointed featherweight champion Volkanovski to retain the lightweight title, in a meeting between the UFC’s pound-for-pound No 1 (Volkanovski) and No 2.

As a result, Volkanovski – who was fighting on home turf in Perth, Australia – failed to become the UFC’s fifth ever dual-weight champion. In 2016, McGregor became the first by winning the lightweight title, 11 months after he became featherweight champion.

The Irishman has been antagonistic towards Makhachev in the past – due to the Russian’s longtime friendship with Khabib Nurmagomedov, McGregor’s fiercest rival – but “Notorious” was glowing in his assessment of Saturday’s main event.

“That was a great fight last night lads! No loser there just winners,” McGregor wrote on Twitter on Sunday (12 February).

“The Ozzie and the Ozzie’s showed out and I f***ing loved seeing it! Perth looks f***in’ tasty too, now I see why so many Irish are there.

“I should’ve went out, former titles on the line. Congrats all at @ufc.”

McGrefor was refereeing to the fact that he defended neither the featherweight nor lightweight title after winning the belts.

Islam Makhachev (left) beat Alex Volkanovski 48-47, 48-47, 49-46 on the judges’ scorecards (Getty Images)

The 34-year-old knocked out Jose Aldo in 13 seconds to become featherweight champion, before stopping Eddie Alvarez to claim the lightweight gold, but McGregor was eventually stripped of both titles as he took a two-year hiatus from the UFC, a period in which he boxed Floyd Mayweather.

McGregor returned to the UFC in 2018 and failed to regain the lightweight title when he was submitted by Khabib. He bounced back with a welterweight win over Donald Cerrone in 2020, stopping the American in 40 seconds, before suffering back-to-back lightweight losses to Dustin Poirier in 2021.

Poirier handed McGregor the first knockout loss of his career that January, before the Irishman suffered a broken leg in their July rematch.

McGregor has not fought since but is set to take on Michael Chandler at lightweight or welterweight later this year, after the pair serve as opposing coaches on UFC television show The Ultimate Fighter.

Click here to subscribe to The Independent’s Sport YouTube channel for all the latest sports videos.