Six years later, Conor McGregor is still reminding everyone about the time he brutally put Jeremy Stephens in his place at a press conference.
Cast your minds back to 2016, when the UFC rolled into Madison Square Garden for the first time after the MMA ban in New York was revoked at the start of the year.
After years of working tirelessly to overturn the state-wide ban on professional mixed martial arts, UFC president Dana White celebrated by putting on what he called the ‘biggest fight card’ in their history.
Of course, McGregor headlined and became the first dual-weight champion in history as he flawlessly dethroned lightweight titleholder, Eddie Alvarez, at UFC 205.
The Irishman produced several iconic moments before, during and after the fight.
One of which occurred when he simply asked, “Who the f*** is that guy?” after being called out by Stephens at the pre-fight press conference.
The drama started when McGregor was asked by a member of the audience: “Who do you think would give you the hardest fight out of anyone on stage?”
As the UFC legend paused for a moment and looked around to assess his potential opponents, ‘Lil Heathen’ jumped in and declared himself the toughest opponent McGregor could face due to his knockout power.
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“Right here, the hardest hitting 145lber,” Stephens said. “The real hardest-hitting 145er. This guy TKOs people. When I knock people out, they don’t f***ing move.”
Stephens' intervention proved to be a grave mistake as the quick-witted MMA icon expertly put him back in his place with a six-word rebuttal that had everyone in the room crying with laughter.
The brutal insult was heard around the world, replayed millions of times on social media, and even incorporated into songs played on YouTube.
McGregor is currently sidelined due to injury and is working away in the gym ahead of his eagerly anticipated comeback fight that is expected to take place in 2023.
However, when he found out that it had been six years since his viral rebuttal, he couldn’t resist reminding everyone about one of his funniest moments which he reposted on Twitter to celebrate the anniversary.
Stephens finally responded to McGregor’s call out after a year of almost complete silence by getting a picture with the former two-weight world champion’s mother, Margaret, but it didn’t quite hit the same.
The American brawler was released by the UFC last year after losing five consecutive fights, in a move that confirmed that he will never get the chance to exact revenge on McGregor inside the Octagon.
Stephens is now signed with PFL and was last in action against Myles Price, who he beat by split decision in July to snap a long losing streak that stretched all the way back to 2018.
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