Conor McGregor is known for bouncing heads off the floor in the UFC ring, but recently the Irish superstar was caught bouncing soccer balls in a video that went viral on social media. The video amused the fan base of the former UFC Champion, who violated a basic rule of soccer in his own unique way.
In the video, McGregor was caught playing with a soccer ball on a suburban street in a city, probably Dublin. The MMA athlete was playing ‘Keepie Uppies’ in the middle of the street. Surprising his fans, McGregor was able to hold his own as he successfully kept the ball in the air for several seconds before kicking the ball up in the air above his head.
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He then proceeded to switch from his legs to his hand and started playing the same game using his bare knuckles. In the short clip, the former UFC champ was able to outrage the fans by violating the basic rule of not using hands while playing soccer. However, his hand-eye coordination was perfect toward the end of the video.
The video went viral on Instagram and drew more than 85,000 likes. It also drew several entertaining comments from the fans that were a mix of trolling and amusement.
Comments like “Bro mixed three sports basketball football boxing,” “Me with tha balloon at my cousin’s birthday,” “Bro can do striking & goalkeeping,” and “Me annoying little kids after returning back from training,” echoed the amusement of the fans after seeing the soccer skills of the former UFC Champion.
Conor McGregor played for two clubs in the amateur soccer leagues in Dublin
The connection between the Irish superstar and soccer runs deep. McGregor was an amateur soccer player in Dublin and represented two clubs, Slievenamon United and Yellowstone Celtic, in the United Churches League and Leinster Football League.
“@Ger_Grehan: @TheNotoriousMMA Do you miss playing for Yellowstone Celtic on a freezin winters day? #AskNotorious” I was a goal machine.
— Conor McGregor (@TheNotoriousMMA) September 7, 2013
As per TalkSport, McGregor used to start for these clubs while training for MMA on the side. The Dublin native moved to the MMA world, later leaving soccer behind. In an ‘X’ Q&A, he referred to himself as a goal machine for Yellowstone Celtic.
Hey guys, I’m thinking about buying Manchester United!
What do you think?— Conor McGregor (@TheNotoriousMMA) April 20, 2021
Apart from being an amateur player in Dublin, McGregor is a big fan of the English club, Manchester United. The English club has a history of Irish superstars, with Roy Keane and Denis Irwin being former players of the club. The fandom of Manchester United reached its peak for McGregor when he offered to buy the club from controversial owners, the Glazers family.
The proposal never materialized and became a part of the soccer history for Manchester United fans. With interaction and meetups with Cristiano Ronaldo in the past, McGregor has been part of soccer discourse on several occasions; however, the latest video has put some negative limelight on the athlete due to his use of hands.