“The Notorious” who has gone down in history as the first man to hold two UFC titles simultaneously, is also a football fan who, it turns out, has his idols on the pitch. A Portuguese superstar, who now plays for Juventus in Italy, is one of them.

Axar.az reports citing foreign media.

Millionaire fighter Conor McGregor has called Cristiano Ronaldo, who recently scored a hat-trick in Juventus’ the game against Atletico Madrid that sent the Italian club to the Champions League quarter-finals, a “ phenomenal athlete, person, and entrepreneur” in a recent interview with FIFA.com. The MMA superstar did not mince his words of admiration for the Portuguese top footballer.

“ His all-around discipline, perfectionist attitude, and dedication to his craft is inspiring and has inspired so many young children to play football. Just look what he did recently in the Champions League, at 34 years young, a hat-trick under the lights when the pressure was on for all the marbles. And against Atletico Madrid, one of the best defensive sides in Europe. That is inspiring!” McGregor said.

“ The Notorious” would not have been himself without a little bit of self-promotion, noting that he and Ronaldo “ are both disciplined athletes at the top of our game”

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My brother Ronaldo dropped by the gym today! He is an animal. Thank you @cristiano, much respect! I will see you for that Forbes number 1 spot next year. #ThisIsTheMacLife

A post shared by Conor McGregor Official (@thenotoriousmma) on Jul 24, 2016 at 5:01pm PDT