Conor McGregor is the biggest star in the UFC right now and because of that he will have a lot of people commenting on what he does. McGregor is not afraid to speak up and say how he feels, so he will typically face a lot of scrutiny when he fails to back up his talk.
McGregor lost via second-round submission to Nate Diaz at UFC 196 this past weekend after he had talked all week about how he was going to knock Diaz out. Naturally, McGregor caught a lot of flak for losing after talking so much, but there are also plenty of people that backed him up.
Jon Jones posted an Instagram video after the fight saying he gained more respect for McGregor for how he handled the fight, and now the NBA's biggest star is coming to his defense. On Monday afternoon LeBron James defended McGregor by saying even Muhammad Ali has gone down before and that doesn't take away from what he has accomplished.
"We always get caught up in wins and losses," James said. "He will be a champion for the rest of his life and no one can take it away from him. It will always be a part of his résumé. It will always be a part of what goes on with him and he's determined to continue to prove doubters wrong. He's built that throughout his career and he will continue to do that as I've seen some of his quotes after the fight."
James knows all about being the biggest star in your sport and dealing with adversity. There was a time when people would get on him for not having won a championship and not being clutch. James has proved all of those people wrong and has demonstrated continued excellence despite being "knocked down" several times.
This isn't the first time James and McGregor have been tied together though, as the Cavaliers star took to Instagram after a blowout loss to the Warriors earlier this season and used a photo of McGregor with a famous quote of his. The quote basically says that there is no talent, just work ethic, and the people that work the hardest will be the best in their given fields. It is a motto McGregor lives by and James has taken to it as well this season.
James is busy trying to get his Cleveland Cavaliers team to another NBA Finals and hopes to be able to bring the trophy home this year. McGregor, on the other hand, is still the featherweight champion and defending that title will likely be his next move.
