‘I didn’t know I ever took a pic with this dweeb’: Conor McGregor shares fan photo of himself with ‘bum’ UFC rival Justin Gaethje

UFC superstar Conor McGregor has laid into Justin Gaethje after revealing that his lightweight rival asked him to pose for a photograph with him during the Irishman's run to featherweight gold several years ago.

McGregor's pursuit of his first UFC world title, which took him through the likes of Chad Mendes en route to a 13-second knockout of the then-decade unbeaten Jose Aldo, captivated fight fans as the Dubliner emerged as one of the sport's most potent threats – and so clinical was McGregor's rise that even some of the sport's top stars were impressed.

One such fighter seems to have been Justin Gaethje. Long before McGregor and the lightweight buzzsaw's current rivalry, Gaethje posed for a photograph with McGregor – apparently before Gaethje signed with the UFC. McGregor took to social media late Sunday night to fire shots at the fighter he described as a "dweeb". 

"What the f*ck, guys? One of the fan pages put this up," wrote McGregor. "I didn’t know I ever took a pic with this dweeb.

"Back when I was tearing up the 145 division. I didn’t even know who the f*ck this gack eye even was. I’m at this game years man. Concrete block hands. Gack eye and el cockeye [Tony Ferguson] – two 155 bums."

Gaethje hasn't competed in the cage since he came up short in his bid to seize the UFC lightweight title from Khabib Nurmagomedov last year – although both he and McGregor have long squabbled on social media, with the latest verbal salvo coming from McGregor.

The Dubliner has his hands full at the moment as he readies himself for a July trilogy bout with Dustin Poirier – the first man to defeat McGregor by strikes when they met in the Octagon in January. 

Gaethje remains a key player at 155lbs and could well be in position to challenge McGregor, depending on the result of his third showdown with Poirier. 

Interestingly, the picture of McGregor and Gaethje mirrors a similar photograph McGregor took with another of his heated foes, Khabib Nurmagomedov, backstage after McGregor's win against Poirier at UFC 178 in 2014.

In his latest torrent of tweets, McGregor also promised to "to really start caving heads in properly with these hammers of mine" ahead of his rubber match with Louisiana native Poirier, while also finding time to call out welterweight champion Kamaru Usman, who looked so impressive in last weekend's title defence against Jorge Masvidal.

"Relax there, carbuncles," wrote McGregor in response to Usman. "You big spotty back pox. You were ringside last time I fought at 170. Forty seconds is all it took.

"Why did you reschedule Burns fight? What was the reason, that was never given to the public, why that already signed fight was then rescheduled?"

Despite his defeat to Poirier earlier this year, it is clear that McGregor still has options across two weight classes in the UFC – and with the likes of Gaethje and Usman sitting up to take notice, there will be no shortage of willing opponents for him, no matter the result of his quest for revenge against Poirier this summer.