Conor McGregor sends message of thanks to Chuck Liddell

Former two-division UFC champion Conor McGregor recently took a moment to thank one of the men who inspired him to chase his combat sports dreams: Chuck Liddell.

McGregor gave his props to Liddell on Twitter, sharing a photo of himself and the former UFC light heavyweight champ from 2008, and another photo of Liddell at the weigh-ins for his recent fight with Donald Cerrone.

Thank you @ChuckLiddell!
Your work inside the UFC’s famed Octagon inspired me to chase my own fighting dreams, and for that I am forever grateful to you!
Thank you and big congrats on your hall of fame entry #ProperUFCOG pic.twitter.com/PpG1uVC0Ni

— Conor McGregor (@TheNotoriousMMA) January 25, 2020

“Thank you @ChuckLiddell! Your work inside the UFC’s famed Octagon inspired me to chase my own fighting dreams, and for that I am forever grateful to you! Thank you and big congrats on your hall of fame entry #ProperUFCOG” – Conor McGregor on Twitter.

Conor McGregor won his fight with Donald Cerrone by first-round TKO. It took him just 40 seconds to seal the deal with a series of shoulder strikes, a head kick, and a volley of ground strikes.

Prior to his win over Cerrone, McGregor had not tasted victory since all the way back in November of 2016, when he knocked out Eddie Alvarez to become a two-division UFC champion. After his win over Alvarez, he came up short in a blockbuster boxing match with undefeated legend Floyd Mayweather Jr. in 2017, then tapped out to undefeated UFC lightweight champ Khabib Nurmagomedov in 2018.

Chuck Liddell, meanwhile, last fought in late 2018, when he emerged from years of retirement for an ill-advised fight with his arch rival Tito Ortiz. In this comeback fight, Liddell was knocked out in the first round. He was also knocked out in his three most recent fights before that, succumbing to strikes from Rich Franklin, Mauricio “Shogun” Rua and Rashad Evans. Despite the brutal way with which his career ended, Liddell is regarded as one of the best light heavyweight fighters ever, and an MMA legend — hence this shoutout from Conor McGregor.

This article first appeared on BJPENN.com on 1/27/2020.