UFC star Conor McGregor makes a shock appearance in the cage with his team-mates at Bellator 275

Conor McGregor made a rare appearance at Dublin’s 3Arena to support SBG Ireland team-mates Lee Hammond and Sinead Kavangh at Bellator 275.

The Irish duo were competing in the fight night, which was headlined by Gegard Mousasi’s middleweight title defence against Austin Vanderford, with McGregor stepping out uncharacteristically early to support Hammond in the opening fight of the night.

The former amateur ace went 2-0 with his dominant first round TKO over Jamie Hay, and McGregor made his way into the cage to celebrate – his first time entering the enclosure since his leg break last year.

McGregor made his way into the ring to celebrate Lee Hammond’s victory over Jamie Hay

McGregor is still recovering from from a horrific leg break which put halt to his rubber match against Dustin Poirier, but he seemed in high spirits at the event.

He was also seen shaking hands with Love Island star Josh Denzel, who is involved in the broadcast for the event.

Hammond, a long-time friend of McGregor’s, is a huge fan favourite at the Dublin venue and was received well by the early attendees at the event in his first fight under the Bellator banner.

McGregor has just returned from a holiday to the Bahamas with his family and is still ongoing his rehabilitation as he looks for a return to the ring. 

The 33-year-old hasn’t got a fight lined-up although he is sure to attract interest and a big name fight when he is fully ready – some even suggesting he will get a title shot once again.

Daniel Cormier, however, believes it will be ‘very difficult’ for Conor McGregor to reclaim UFC gold because the sport has evolved since the Irishman reached the lofty heights which took him to global superstardom.

Daniel Cormier believes it will be ‘very difficult’ for Conor McGregor to win UFC gold again

McGregor, 33, is reeling from back-to-back defeats by Dustin Poirier in 2021, with the Irishman sliding down to No 9 in the lightweight rankings, having conquered the division in 2016.  

‘I think that’s hard to expect him to get back to where he was, it would be very difficult,’ Cormier, a Monster Energy athlete, said. ‘The sport constantly evolves. The guys are better. The guys are, you know, more in shape, ready to go.

‘They now understand what they have in front of them. I think one of the biggest things that Conor had for himself, was that nobody really had seen him. Nobody had seen that type of striker back in 2014/2015.

‘Now, like, those guys are littered around weight classes, and they’ve gotten used to dealing with them. And I think that’s why he’s come into the problems that he’s had. Because it’s not new anymore.’