Conor McGregor's sparring partner Dylan Moran knocked out in 54 seconds on Chris Eubank Jr. undercard

Conor McGregor's longtime sparring partner Dylan Moran returned to the ring after a one-year hiatus on the Chris Eubank vs. Liam Smith undercard in Manchester tonight. 'The Real Deal' took on undefeated London-based Albanian prospect Florian Marku, who also hadn't fought in a year.

However, ring rust certainly wasn't an issue for Marku as he came out all guns blazing since the opening bell. The 30-year-old caught Moran with a heavy counter before unleashing a barrage of unanswered punches, forcing referee Mark Lyson to intervene 54 seconds into the fight.

Catch the highlights below:

While Florian Marku originally predicted a sixth or seventh round stoppage, it didn't take him more than a minute to dispatch Dylan Moran with ease. Having been robbed of the opportunity to put his whole skillset on display, 'The Albanian King' said in the post-fight presser:

“I want these big fights, but people keep avoiding me. Ben [Shalom, Marku’s promoter], bring me Josh Taylor, Conor Benn, Kell Brook… I don’t know who else you have but bring me someone that can show what I can do. I have two hands and thank God I can show what I can do."

Moran was all class in the aftermath of his loss and congratulated Marku on his victory.

Chris Eubank Jr. avenged a loss dating back to January, dropping Liam Smith twice en route to a tenth-round TKO win in the main event of the night.

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Dylan Moran discusses Conor McGregor's return to the octagon

Dylan Moran was Conor McGregor's main sparring partner leading up to the Dubliner's UFC 257 rematch against Dustin Poirier in 2021. The two have since seemingly got on really well although Moran is not the kind to pester the UFC megastar.

While he didn't provide any potential timeline, Moran recently claimed that 'Notorious' is seriously training for a return to the octagon. The 19-2 boxer also made a mention of McGregor's growing business ventures, before reassuring us about his return. Dylan Moran recently told British Boxing News:

"He’s also seriously sparring away as well as we speak, I don’t know specifically when he is going to be back in the ring...However, I know that he is grafting away really seriously outside of fighting as well. He is absolutely smashing it in business. The Forged Irish Stout has dropped in Irish Shell garages and it is a really big deal back here. He has got other things on his plate at the moment, but I can confidently predict we will see him back in the Octagon."