Former UFC champion Conor McGregor has been criticised after telling his three-year-old son to hit another child back “in the mouth”.
In a video posted onto Facebook from a beach in Dubai, where McGregor is on holiday with his family, his son Conor Jr. is seen disclosing to his father that he had been struck on the back.
McGregor, 32, then responds by encouraging his son to retaliate.
He said: “Hit him back. Where are you going to hit him? Hit him in the mouth, go hit him in the mouth. Aim for the mouth and nose champ. Be faster, that’s why we train.”
The video was met with criticism on social media, with some users disappointed that the fighter had encouraged his son to respond with violence.
One user commented: “Lovely! Telling a kid to go for the mouth or nose to hit another kid. Great parenting, not!”
McGregor was defeated by Dustin Poirier in his last fight in the UFC in January, and has not won a bout since January 2020.
On Monday, McGregor posted on Twitter that a trilogy fight with Poirier, scheduled for summer 2021, was off over a charity donation dispute.
