Watch Conor McGregor Meet Vladimir Putin At World Cup Final

Conor McGregor interview

UFC superstar accepted an invite to meet Russian President Vladimir Putin at the World Cup final between France and Croatia in Moscow yesterday and you can see the moment they shook hands in the video below.

Amusingly, McGregor seemed not to be aware of the protocols when meeting one of the world’s most powerful people, and so he put his arm around the President’s shoulder and put his fist up in a typical MMA fighter pose while a photo was taken, until a security guard motioned for him not to.

“Today, I was invited to the World Cup final as a guest of Russian President Vladimir Putin,” McGregor later wrote on Instagram.

“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.”

McGregor also posted recently that, “my Russian compound is taking shape,” heating up rumors that a fight with his rival Khabib Nurmagomedov (who coincidentally was also at the World Cup Final) may be in the works.

However, UFC president Dana White has previously stated that a fight of that magnitude would likely take place in Las Vegas.

Ross launched MMA Insight (previously FightOfTheNight.com) in 2009 as a way to channel his passion for the sport of mixed martial arts. He's since penned countless news stories and live fight reports along with dozens of feature articles as the lead writer for the site, reaching millions of fans in the process.