Conor McGregor Calls Rihanna “Number 1 Female In The Game” After Watching a Performance in Dublin

UFC Featherweight champion Conor McGregor met Rihanna backstage after her performance in his home of Dublin, Ireland. The Irish fighter was impressed by her performance and shared an Instagram photo captioned “An honour to see the pound for pound number 1 female in the game perform tonight! This woman ain’t playin!”

Rihanna was also charmed by The Notorious, with an Instagram post of her own commemorating the backstage meeting. “Met @thenotoriousmma #ConorMcGregor backstage last night! So much heart! Thanks for your kind words!”

The Anti World Tour is the seventh concert tour by Rihanna. It is coming off the strength of her eighth studio album, Anti. The album was praised by critics and is a commercial success featuring the Billboard Hot 100 number #1 single “Work” along with top ten hit “Needed Me.”

Rihanna has several shows left in Europe, with London, Coventry, and Glasgow being the next stops.

Conor McGregor and Rihanna are unlikely to see each other for a while, as he prepares to take on Nate Diaz in an anticipated rematch in UFC 202.

McGregor hit the headlines earlier this year when he refused to do the press tour for UFC 200, where the fight was originally scheduled. Nate Diaz then renegotiated his contract when Conor was pulled out, thus leaving the fate of the fight in the air.

At the UFC 200 event, Nate Diaz emerged with UFC president Dana White to announce the fight is official and Conor continues to train to avenge his loss. He has brought in a multitude of training partners to help him prepare for the fight.

With rumors of a fight with Floyd Mayweather slowly withering away, fans expect the McGregor vs Diaz fight to happen in August this year.

Rihanna will still be touring in Europe when the fight takes place so don’t expect to see her in the Las Vegas stadium.

The Telegraph gave Rihanna’s performance in Dublin a solid 4/5 rating, calling her Anti World Tour stop in Irish land “A slick, sleek arena blockbuster delivered full-strength shots of sass and escapism.”

The high praise coming Rihanna’s way explains why the biggest draw in the UFC was impressed. Conor McGregor was taking a night off his busy schedule training for Diaz.

He has suggested that his loss is due to fatigue during the fight. Both McGregor and Diaz, who are featherweight and lightweight respectively, were not fighting at their weight class. Conor went up two weight classes while Nate went up one.

Nate Diaz took the fight on 11 days’ notice and finished the fight in the second round via rear-naked choke. Diaz is a submission specialist and skillful boxer who spars with Andre Ward and other high-level boxers.

One thing Conor McGregor and Rihanna have in common is that they draw a big crown when they perform.

McGregor is expected to make more than $10 million for his fight with Nate Diaz when his PPV percentage and show fight money are taken into account. He is also expected to score big in endorsements outside of fighting.

Nate Diaz, who have a new contract, is also expected to make a big payday. And with his stock rising after his victory in the first matchup, the Stockton native is more attractive to advertisers, and his brash style is popular among MMA fans.

[Photo by Kevin Winter/Getty Images]