Conor McGregor on CM Punk: 'Fair Play to Him Because He Got in There and Fought'

Conor McGregor has not minced words when it comes to his opinion on WWE Superstars, as Marc Raimondi of MMA Fighting (warning: link contains NSFW language) noted in August. At UFC 203 on Saturday night, a former Superstar stepped inside the cage for his first professional MMA bout.

After making the trek to the Octagon, CM Punk promptly received a beating at the hands of Mickey Gall. Gall took Punk down almost immediately, beat him up on the mat and made him tap to the rear-naked choke. At the post-fight press conference, Punk said that in spite of the finish, it was still the "second-best night" of his life.

What did McGregor think of CM Punk's debut? (Warning: NSFW.)

"He got his ass whooped," McGregor told TMZ. "God bless."

But McGregor wasn't rubbing salt in Punk's wounds. Instead, he showed his respect for the former sports entertainment star.

"Fair play to him because he got in there and fought," McGregor said. "Not a lot of people have the balls to make that walk."

McGregor reiterated his pointed remarks concerning WWE stars, but he said Punk is not of the same ilk because he got inside the cage. The undisputed featherweight champion ignored the question of whether more wrestlers should enter the cage.

The Irish star seemed to be in good spirits when commenting about Punk. While McGregor gave Punk his props, he seemingly enjoyed watching a young buck take down a professional wrestler without much issue.

But anyone who steps inside the cage deserves some respect, and McGregor showed that courtesy to Punk.