Conor McGregor shows respect to Alex Pereira after UFC 303 win: “Real recognize real”

Conor McGregor has nothing but respect for UFC light-heavyweight champion Alex Pereira.

‘The Notorious’ was set to return in the main event of UFC 303 last Saturday in Las Vegas. The bout was going to be Conor McGregor’s first since breaking his leg in a trilogy bout with Dustin Poirier in the summer of 2021. However, the Irishman was forced out due to injury, just two weeks before fight day.

As a result, Alex Pereira and Jiri Prochazka stepped up. Just a few months after ‘Poatan’ handed the former light-heavyweight champion a second-round stoppage loss, he did it again. This time, the Brazilian scored a knockout win just seconds into the round with a brutal head kick. The win saw his star power rise even more, and earn an extra $303,000 bonus courtesy of Dana White.

The knockout has also earned the praise of Conor McGregor. Taking to X earlier today, ‘The Notorious’ made a brief post praising Alex Pereira. In the post, McGregor stated that “real recognize real” in response to a post from the Brazilian discussing his UFC 303 pull-out. The Irishman concluded by stating that he was looking forward to his own return to the octagon.

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Real recognise real. Excited to secure my new date. pic.twitter.com/nKmGZ9QfRT

— Conor McGregor (@TheNotoriousMMA) July 2, 2024

Conor McGregor praises Alex Pereira’s UFC 303 knockout win over Alex Pereira

For what it’s worth, Conor McGregor apparently won’t be waiting long to make his UFC return. If Michael Chandler is to be believed, ‘The Notorious’ has an offer to headline the UFC Sphere show in Las Vegas. However, Dana White also indicated earlier this week that McGregor might not be around for a few months.

Regardless, it seems that Conor McGregor is still full steam ahead on his UFC return. Meanwhile, Alex Pereira is also eyeing a return to the octagon. Just a few days removed from his victory over Jiri Prochazka, the light-heavyweight champion is apparently plodding a return for Perth.

As of now, Alex Pereira’s potential UFC 305 opponent is unknown, and it’s also unclear whether he would be added to the card in the first place. Then again, ‘Poatan’ has proven that he’s willing to step up on short notice multiple times already. In the event he wants to fight in September, Magomed Ankalaev has shown interest in facing the Brazilian.

What do you make of these comments from Conor McGregor? Who do you want to see Alex Pereira face in his UFC return?