Conor McGregor: Amateur boxer who fought former UFC champion jokingly accuses him of ‘cheap shot’ as he discusses remarkable bout

Conor McGregor is renowned for doing things his own way.

The Irish MMA star again demonstrated this trait over the Easter weekend as he returned to his roots at Crumlin Boxing Club – his first amateur gym.

Not content with simply checking in and paying a visit, the 30-year-old climbed through the ropes and engaged in a three-round bout against amateur boxer Michael McGrane.

The contest was generally good-spirited, though McGrane did joke he was hit with a cheap shot at the beginning of the bout.

He told TMZ: “We touched gloves at the start of the fight and then you're meant to go back to your corner, but Conor never went back to his corner.

“Conor leaped at me with a left hook and he caught me flush on the eye with his clinical left hook.

"But you can’t let that get to you, man. We still had a fight after that.

“It was a cheap shot, yeah! It was the cheapest shot I ever caught in my life.

“Conor McGregor hit me with a cheap shot in his own hometown, he did!

"The ref was on his side. There's no way I would have won that fight unless I’d have knocked him out."

Joking aside, the amateur boxer, who works as an electrician, discussed the surreal experience of boxing McGregor.

The last man McGregor had been in the ring with was Floyd Mayweather, so for Michael McGrane the experience was a true honour.

“I still can’t believe it," he continued, "I’m going professional soon - in about two months.

“Hopefully it gets me where I need to be. I’d drop the electrical game to fight any day of the week.

“I’ve got one more year left of the electrical and then I think I’m just gonna go full-time fighting.”