7 Biggest Conor McGregor Controversies

Throughout his MMA career, McGregor has consistently demonstrated a fierce loyalty to his teammates, especially his primary training partner Artem Lobov. McGregor used his sway within the UFC to ensure that Lobov got a chance to earn his place in the organisation as he was brought in on Team McGregor on The Ultimate Fighter.

At UFC Fight Night 118 Lobov faced longtime featherweight contender Andre Fili. The fight saw both men have periods of success but after 15 minutes Fili got the nod, earning a unanimous decision victory. Fili had used his striking to negate the sizeable power of Lobov, leading McGregor to lambast the Hawaiian for employing what he saw as an overly-cautious fighting style. In an incident caught on camera after the fight, McGregor was overheard consoling his friend, while referring to his opponent with a homophobic slur.

I thought you were going to sleep him, all I'm saying, he's a f****t. I never knew he was a f****t.

McGregor would later apologise for the language he used on an Irish TV show, explaining that in the heat of the moment his emotions had gotten the better of him:

I'm human, I slip up, I say stupid things every damn day. All I can (do) is hold my hand up and apologise if anyone was offended. I was whispering in his ear and speaking on that and I said what I said. I meant no disrespect to ... [anybody in the] LGBT community