The two men came face-to-face yesterday when McGregor jetted over to Russia to watch the World Cup final between France and Croatia.
"Today I was invited to the World Cup final as a guest of Russian President Vladimir Putin," McGregor wrote on social media.
“This man is one of the greatest leaders of our time and I was honored to attend such a landmark event alongside him. Today was an honor for me Mr. Putin. Thank you and congratulations on an amazing World Cup."
He gets full marks for diplomacy on this occasion, but describing Putin as "one of the greatest leaders" is OTT, putting it mildly, considering all the war crimes the man has been accused of.
McGregor was clearly cheering on France last night. He took to Instagram to wish good luck Paul Pogba, a self-confessed UFC fan.
“What’s happening, Paul? I just wanted to say best of luck for the World Cup final tomorrow, my brother," McGregor wrote.

Enjoying the World Cup final in Russia.
A truly amazing spectacle! pic.twitter.com/OEeOBmEp9y

— Conor McGregor (@TheNotoriousMMA) July 15, 2018

Today I was invited to the World Cup final as a guest of Russian President Vladimir Putin.
This man is one of the greatest leaders of our time and I was honored to attend such a landmark… https://t.co/YvbSpimJ4S

— Conor McGregor (@TheNotoriousMMA) July 15, 2018

Today I was invited to the World Cup final as a guest of Russian President Vladimir Putin. This man is one of the greatest leaders of our time and I was honored to attend such a landmark event alongside him. Today was an honor for me Mr. Putin. Thank you and congratulations on an amazing World Cup. Россия вперёд!

A post shared by Conor McGregor Official (@thenotoriousmma) on Jul 15, 2018 at 11:08am PDT