Watch: Conor McGregor wishes former Irish soccer star Shay Given's son on latter's 18th birthday

Conor McGregor recently wished fellow Irishman Shay Given's son a "happy 18th birthday" in a video posted on Shayne Given's Instagram account.

Given was a stalwart in goal for the Republic of Ireland as well as Newcastle United for over a decade. Having accumulated the second-most international caps of any Irish footballer, Shay Given is an undisputed Irish football legend.

Conor McGregor is a long-time football fan and praised Shay Given's abilities in the video sent to his son:

"Shayne, what's up my man, it's the notorious Conor McGregor... Young Shayne Given, I want to give you a shoutout and say happy 18th birthday my man. You're a man now my man yeah. Shay top man and a top [goal]keeper. God bless you... and always welcome in the Black Forge Inn."

Watch the video below:

Conor McGregor opened his pub, The Black Forge Inn, over two years ago. 'Notorious' welcomed both Shay Given and his son to dine at the increasingly famous Irish pub.

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Conor McGregor to bypass re-entering USADA testing pool for six months due to "exceptional circumstances"

Conor McGregor has been injured since July 2021 when he fought Dustin Poirier at UFC 264. 'Notorious' broke his leg at the end of the first round and the fight was declared a TKO via a doctor's stoppage.

It recently came to light that McGregor has not been tested by USADA since his trilogy fight against Poirier. 'Notorious' has been excluded from the testing pool since his injury. With his interest in a return to the octagon next year, many fans wondered when he planned on re-entering the USADA testing pool.

The normal USADA protocol is to have a fighter re-enter the pool for six months before being eligible to fight. However, based on McGregor's recent Twitter activity, he won't need to do so:

"I am clear for testing in February. I will complete my two tests per USADA and we are booking a fight."

See the tweet below:

MMA journalist Aaron Bronsteter inquired about the testing policy of USADA following McGregor's tweet. The anti-doping organization responded with the following statement:

"UFC may grant an exemption to the six-month written notice rule in exceptional circumstances... under the UFC rules the athlete must provide at least two negative samples before returning to competition."

Screenshot of Aaron Bronsteter's tweet containing USADA statement