Conor McGregor has congratulated his former rival, fellow UFC lightweight Paul Felder, on his retirement from the sport.
McGregor said in a tweet on May 23: "Congrats to the “Irish Dragon” Paul Felder on his retirement!
"Proper Pina Colada on me fella! #Respect."
Congrats to the “Irish Dragon” Paul Felder on his retirement!
— Conor McGregor (@TheNotoriousMMA) May 23, 2021
Proper Pina Colada on me fella! #Respect @felderpaul ☘️ 🐉
It came as a surprise to McGregor's diehard fans when the Irish UFC star took to congratulated Felder on his retirement, which was recently announced at UFC Vegas 27.
Over the years, McGregor has berated Felder for using the "Irish Dragon" nickname because he says he’s not actually Irish.
Even though Felder is of Irish heritage and ancestry, McGregor has maintained that the surname Felder is German. This formed a sort of feud between the pair.
Felder had joked in the past that he would change his nickname to the "German Dragon" to appease McGregor if it would mean earning a big money fight with the Irish fighter.
He has also made his frustration clear towards McGregor's taunts.
“I did not give myself the ‘The Irish Dragon’ nickname and, as a matter of fact, I fought against it for the first few fights of my pro career because I hated it and I thought it was stupid.
"It got put together because I did karate and Lyoto ‘The Dragon’ Machida was one of my favourite fighters and then this guy was like, ‘Well you’re Irish, how about The Irish Dragon?’
"And then he started saying it on a YouTube video and the CCFC got hold of it when I was fighting for them so started calling me that for the one fight and it stuck...I’m not trying to claim any heritage.”
The “Irish Dragon” departs the Octagon at the age of 37 and with a record of 23-6.
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