Conor McGregor and Islam Makhachev found themselves in the same venue, with only the boxing ring keeping them apart.

‘The Notorious’ attended the IBA Champions’ Night event in Dubai on Saturday, where he engaged in an intense yet amicable face-off with former UFC bantamweight champion Petr Yan.

However, what added an intriguing twist to the evening was the presence of the reigning UFC lightweight kingpin, seated on the opposite side of the squared circle from McGregor.

Notably, Makhachev has a longstanding friendship and training partnership with Khabib Nurmagomedov, who remains one of McGregor’s most significant rivals to date.

Check out the video below:

The sighting of McGregor and Makhachev in the same arena sparked a myriad of reactions from enthusiastic fans.

One fan wrote:

“Need the brawl video recorded on IMAX”

Another wrote:

“He remembers what that left hand felt like”

Check out some more reactions below:

“It’s Islam, he probably doesn’t even know what’s going on 😂😂””Poor Islam looked nervous. Khabib wasn’t their to hold his hand.””The tension is palpable””McGregor is always yapping and Islam has a permanent NPC face””Islam with the ‘I sh*t on bus’ look.”

Credits: @SpinninBackfist and @Home_of_Fight on X

When Daniel Cormier advocated for a mega fight between Conor McGregor and Islam Makhachev

UFC Hall-of-Famer Daniel Cormier wants Islam Makhachev to face Conor McGregor.

After Makhachev’s first-round knockout victory over Alexander Volkanovski at UFC 294 in October, ‘DC’ shared his perspective on the UFC lightweight champion’s potential for a dominant reign.

According to Cormier, the Dagestani grappler can attain genuine superstardom with a matchup against someone as renowned as McGregor.

During an episode of DC & RC Show in October, Cormier stated:

“I think Islam should fight Conor McGregor next… It’s built-in, it’s built-in. It’s the biggest money fight the UFC can make… You have Islam Makhachev, who looks to be a guy that’s going to be a dominant champion. In order to have that dominant champion go to the next level of superstardom, you need a foil. A guy that can elevate him. A guy that can elevate him to the next level is Conor McGregor.”