Conor McGregor has heaped praise on legendary quarterback Tom Brady after he announced he will come out out his short retirement to play on.
Brady announced his retirement from the sport at the end of last season after he failed to add to his haul of seven Super Bowl trophies.
He is considered the greatest quarter back of all-time having seen records tumble during his career, including leading the all-time passing statistics with 84,520 successful yards.
Brady made a surprising U-turn on Monday, announcing that he has unfinished business in the sport and will return for his 23rd campaign with the Tampa Bay Bucaneers.
McGregor responded by sending a message to the star, posting on Instagram : "Champions come back stronger and better! Love the sport and it shows! Tom Brady - thank you for the Irish spirit and the big news!"
The 44-year-old responded to the UFC star, commenting with a respectful fist bump emoji alongside caption: "LFG!"
Brady's final outing appeared to come in a narrow 30-27 loss while playing for the Bucaneers against Los Angeles Rams in a play-off game.
He had a year left on his deal with the franchise but announced his retirement six weeks ago.
The American star will now look to rejuvenate the Bucaneers offense next season in a bid to reach another Super Bowl.
McGregor has himself claimed to have retired from MMA only to make his own U-turns.
He first made his return from retirement in 2016 before later announcing his retirement again in 2019, taking on Donald Cerrone in a comeback victory a year later.
The 33-year-old later announced his retirement after defeating the journeyman before making his return for a third time in back-to-back defeats against Dustin Poirier.
Are you as excited as Conor McGregor for Tom Brady's NFL return? Let us know in the comments section below
Now after three defeats in his last four fights, McGregor will attempt to stop the rot when he makes his return to the octagon after breaking his leg last summer.
He is still considered the sport's biggest superstar and will attract huge attention when he makes his comeback.
Several high-profile opponents are being targeted by the Irish star including the winner of Charles Oliveira's lightweight title defence against Justin Gaethje later this year.
McGregor has been backed to earn another opportunity to fight for the title after further meetings with Nate Diaz and Poirier were snubbed.
"They are talking about giving Conor a world title fight right when he comes back, that conversation did not go away," UFC legend Chael Sonnen said on his YouTube channel.
"That got called to Dana White one time and Dana did not dismiss it, he did not commit to it but he didn't dismiss it.
"That seemed like the door was open, we've already heard Charles Oliveira wants the fight. Justin Gaethje wants the fight with McGregor, it seems everybody is wide open to the idea."
