Conor McGregor Hangs Out with Russian President Vladimir Putin at World Cup Final

If Conor McGregor is preparing for an eventual showdown with Khabib Nurmagomedov, he’s taking his troll game to the next level.

On Sunday, both McGregor and Nurmagomedov were in Russia to witness the World Cup Final that saw France defeat Croatia 4-2.

Мечта детства, посетить финал Чемпионата Мира по футболу. Childhood dream come true #WorldCup2018 #Russia #football #soccer

A post shared by Khabib Nurmagomedov (@khabib_nurmagomedov) on Jul 15, 2018 at 9:00am PDT

It seems McGregor wasn’t just at the game, however, because it appears he was a special guest of Russian president Vladimir Putin.

McGregor posted a pair of photos alongside the Russian president on Sunday after attending the game.

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

It’s no secret that President Putin is a fight fan after he’s attended numerous combat sports events over the years and he’s even granted Russian citizenship to former UFC title contender Jeff Monson.

Now whether or not McGregor was posting the photos alongside the Russian president as a jab at Nurmagomedov is unknown but if nothing else it’s an interesting side note to what should be one of the biggest fights in UFC history.

McGregor has been teasing his return to action for months with Nurmagomedov as his likely opponent after not competing in the UFC since 2016.

As much as he appeared to love Russia on Sunday, McGregor’s rumored fight against Nurmagomedov is expected to take place in the United States if all sides can come to an agreement on the timing for the highly anticipated bout.