ANY boxer planning to try their hand at MMA may want to think twice following throwback footage of Conor McGregor sparring Patrick Hyland.
Hyland is no stranger to a scrap after being crowned the boxing WBF featherweight champion in 2011.
But he looked a fish out of water after stepping inside the cage to take on the Notorious as his Straight Blast Gym in Dublin.
With the pair padded up, McGregor instantly went straight for the body and took Hyland down to the canvas.
The 38-year-old fellow Irishman knew he was in instant trouble and can be heard shouting: “What do I do? I don’t know what to do.”
McGregor, who has not fought since suffering a horrific injury in his defeat to Dustin Poirier at UFC 264, remains in total control of their session and even takes it easy on his opponent.
Hyland showed glimpses of the fighter he once was by throwing a couple of testing jabs but nothing to trouble the former UFC featherweight and lightweight champ.
McGregor even managed to laugh at the boxer when Hyland attempted a takedown of his own.
The footage was leaked online by the 33-year-old’s head coach John Kavanagh but Hyland appeared to take the beating in good spirits.
The same can’t be said about McGregor’s former sparring partner Paulie Malignaggi who had a major fallout with the Notorious over a leaked sparring video in 2017.
McGregor is ‘way ahead of schedule’ in his recovery according to manager Audie Attar, after shattering his left tibia and fibula in his July trilogy fight with Poirier.
The Irishman is already back on his feet and in the gym training, although he’s yet to resume kicking.
July 2022 is the earliest McGregor is expected to make his eagerly-anticipated return to the octagon.
And he will look to bounce back from consecutive defeats for the first time in his professional career.
Source: Boxing - thesun.co.uk
