Boxing star Katie Taylor has been slammed by MMA fans for comparing Conor McGregor to Muhammad Ali.
The undisputed lightweight champion was appearing on The MMA Hour recently when she made the bold claim that McGregor was the "Muhammad Ali of the UFC".
And the comment made ruptures in the MMA community, with angry social media users taking to Twitter to voice their displeasure at Taylor's comparison.
"He’s always been a fantastic support to me," Taylor said. "But I think he’s just someone who’s actually transcended the sport.
"He’s like, for me, the Muhammad Ali of the UFC, he’s just a fantastic athlete and a great businessman as well.
"But what he’s done in the sport and the UFC has been absolutely incredible, and I don’t think he’s celebrated as much as he should be here in Ireland."
The interview drew the anger of many fans, with one responding "Take this s*** back. How dare you disrespect the late great Muhammad Ali like this."
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Someone else referred to Taylor as an imbecile for comparing the two, while another wrote that while McGregor may have had similar traits in his prime, there are now minimal similarities
"Back then, he had starpower, trash talk and charisma which made him similar to Ali," one wrote.
"But even then there were things which Ali had that Conor didn't. Now, he's incomparable to him."
One other fan added: "There is no Muhammad Ali of the UFC. Especially not this clown. Stop it."
Taylor and McGregor are known to be close, with the Irishman showing up to her 2018 bout against Cindy Serrano in Boston and offering her advice in the back before the fight.
The pair are both legends of Irish combat sports, with McGregor the first ever two-weight UFC world champion to hold his belts simultaneously, while Taylor is a multiple-weight world champion and Olympic gold medalist.
And while McGregor is currently sidelined with a broken leg, Taylor is expected to make her ring return in April against Amanda Serrano.
The sister of Cindy, who McGregor watched on as Taylor outpointed in October 2018 at the TD Garden in Boston, Amanda Serrano is considered the toughest test of her career to date.
Brooklyn native Serrano is a fellow multiple-weight world champion, and was recently signed to Jake Paul's Most Valuable Promotions banner, where she has competed in two co-main events.
The YouTube star will take an extended hiatus from the ring to focus on promoting Serrano and Taylor's fight, which will be co-promoted with Eddie Hearn and Matchroom Boxing.
The bout date has yet to be confirmed, but it is expected that it will take place in April or May at Madison Square Garden in New York City as a massive main event on DAZN.
Both women are expected to make millions from the event, which is deemed the biggest fight in women's boxing history.
