Conor McGregor has previously had a bit of an unlikely friendship with Russian President Vladimir Putin, having not only famously referred to him as 'one of the greatest leaders of our time', but also claiming he once gifted him a bottle of his own whiskey – claiming the leader had to have it tested before drinking it to check for poison.
Speaking at a press conference in Moscow to promote his whiskey brand back in 2019, McGregor recalled how he actually gave the ‘very first bottle’ of Proper Twelve Irish Whiskey to Putin.
However, his security team soon swooped in and took the bottle of booze away before he could open it – supposedly to make sure it was ‘safe’.
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McGregor said: "Many people don't know, the very first bottle of Proper Twelve Irish whiskey, I gifted to Vladimir Putin.
"President Putin's security detail is second to none as I'm sure you know, you don't mess around with Vladimir.
"So, I gifted the bottle and I gifted it to his security.
“They had to take the liquid from the bottle to make sure the liquid was safe and it was not maybe poisoned or what not and then it was gifted to Vladimir Putin."
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This meant the UFC star never got to knock a glass back with Putin - although he was fairly certain that the gift went down well.
McGregor added: "I haven't got to speak to him since to see what he thought of it, although I'm sure he did have a taste and I'm sure he enjoyed it."
The two were photographed together during 2018 World Cup, when McGregor was reportedly invited to come down to watch France win 4-2 against Croatia as Putin's guest.
Sharing two photos from day on Instagram, McGregor thanked the president and referred to him as one of the 'greatest' leaders, writing: "Today I was invited to the World Cup final as a guest of Russian President Vladimir Putin.
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"This man is one of the greatest leaders of our time and I was honored to attend such a landmark event alongside him.
"Today was an honor for me Mr. Putin. Thank you and congratulations on an amazing World Cup."
At the time, the controversial post didn't seem to go down too well with some of his followers, with many commenting to say that they would be unfollowing him.
One person wrote: "I adored him... stood up for him when he made stupid moves.. and now he's f***ing supporting Putin. I'm. So. F***ing. Done."
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Someone else said: "Greatest leader??!! Are you for real?? Go and educate yourself. Unfollowed."
Another commented: "Not following anymore, didn't know he could talk such bulls***."
And one other person wrote, disappointedly: "One of the greatest leaders of our time. C'mon MC Gregor you're smarter than that."
Topics: Celebrity, Conor McGregor, Vladimir Putin
Jess Hardiman