"Turn all water to whiskey", "Pope of dope" - UFC fans stunned as Conor McGregor declares comeback with wild Vatican-inspired photo

UFC megastar Conor McGregor has made headlines as he shared an AI-generated image of himself dressed as the Pope on Instagram.

The Irishman hasn't returned to the octagon since suffering a leg-break in his trilogy bout against fierce rival Dustin Poirier. He was scheduled to make his comeback at UFC 303 against Michael Chandler but was forced to withdraw due to a toe injury sustained during training camp. He has since shifted his focus to the BKFC promotion and his political ambitions.

McGregor's Vatican-inspired post also hinted at a potential comeback in its caption. He wrote:

"Surprise surprise motherf**ker, the king is back!"

Check out Conor McGregor's post below:

The post sparked fan reactions on the platform, as the post drew over 16,000 comments. The Irishman's close ally, Dillon Danis, tuned in, commenting:

"Turn all water to whiskey."

Dillon Danis' comment on McGregor's post [Screenshot courtesy: @thenotoriousmma on Instagram]

Another fan commented:

"Pope of dope."

Fan's comment on McGregor's post [Screenshot courtesy: @thenotoriousmma on Instagram]

Others commented:

"Not the Pope we need, but the Pope we want."

"Officially lost it."

"Who said that? God said it."

"Few shots of proper holy water."

Check out more fan reactions below:

Fan reactions [Screenshots courtesy: @thenotoriousmma on Instagram]

---

Paul Hughes still holds a grudge against Conor McGregor for questioning his Irish identity

PFL fighter Paul Hughes recently appeared on an interview with Karl Frampton, during which he shared that he still hasn't forgiven Conor McGregor for questioning his Irish identity.

Following Hughes' bout against Usman Nurmagomedov in 2024, he referred to Conor McGregor as 'the other guy' during a conversation with Khabib Nurmagomedov. This remark enraged the UFC star, who responded by engaging in an offensive Twitter rant, where he questioned Hughes' Irish roots in a now-deleted post.

Hughes shared that he initially laughed off 'The Notorious's' comments due to their extremity and referred to the situation as "madness". He said:

"Initially, I kind of laughed it off because it was madness. It was so extreme, the stuff that he was saying, that I kind of had to laugh it off. I couldn't take it too personally. I think it was more so the reaction of everyone here, especially people from Derry. People who are Irish or identify as Irish, that live in Northern Ireland."

He added:

"It's like the worst thing you can say to someone, like—Oh, you're not Irish because you live in the north of the island. That's the most insulting thing you could say to someone who sees themselves as Irish."

Check out Hughes' comments about Conor McGregor's insults below (24:51):