Conor McGregor has invited LA Galaxy superstar Zlatan Ibrahimovic to come and train with him.
When SPORTbible conducted an exclusive interview with Ibrahimovic in 2017, the well-travelled striker, who has a black belt in Taekwondo, did not rule out a career change to MMA.
"I would need six months and I would be ready. Six months of training and I could go into Martial Arts." Zlatan told us while chatting about his mobile app, Zlatan Legends.
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But he also gave his prediction for the McGregor-Mayweather Las Vegas mega-fight that was on the horizon at the time and beamed about UFC's biggest draw, stating that Conor is the 'Ibrahimovic of the Martial Arts world' in a quite brilliant answer.
And in a detailed, wide-ranging interview about football with FIFA.com, McGregor has responded to that comment from Zlatan and says it's the Swede who is trying to beat 'the Conor McGregor of football'.
"I respect Zlatan and his positive-winning-mentality mindset, but let's get this straight: there is only one Conor McGregor!" the Irishman stated.
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"Zlatan Ibrahimovic is trying to be the Conor McGregor of football - good luck to him. Zlatan and Paul Pogba are welcome to come and train with me whenever they like.
Zlatan showed his acrobatic prowess last season when he scored an insane Karate Kick goal for his 500th goal. We'd love for him to link up with McGregor and see him try and replicate it in the Octagon.
McGregor has already had Cristiano Ronaldo visit him in his training camp ahead of his second fight with Nate Diaz, even promising to surpass him in the Forbes list - something he then went on to do.
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Asked about Ronaldo's impact at Juventus - and specifically his incredible hat-trick against Atletico Madrid in the Champions League, McGregor waxed lyrical.
"Cristiano is a phenomenal athlete, person, and entrepreneur," McGregor said of the five-time Ballon d'Or winner.
"His all-around discipline, perfectionist attitude, and dedication to his craft is inspiring and has inspired so many young children to play football. Just look what he did recently in the Champions League, at 34 years young, a hat-trick under the lights when the pressure was on for all the marbles.
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"And against Atletico Madrid, one of the best defensive sides in Europe. That is inspiring! We are both disciplined athletes at the top of our game.
Featured Image Credit:Topics:ย Conor Mcgregor, Football News, Football, Manchester United, Zlatan Ibrahimovic, UFC, LA Galaxy, MMA, Cristiano Ronaldo
