Fans have mocked Conor McGregor for appearing to watch UFC Vegas 42 in a sparse hotel room, filming himself as he paced half-naked in front of a TV before bizarrely conducting a remote 'staredown' with one of his rivals.
Coming off the back of two defeats to Dustin Poirier as part of a run of three losses in four fights including his beating by Khabib Nurmagomedov, McGregor is something of an outcast in the UFC at the moment while his recovery from a serious leg injury in his last setback continues.
One of the men McGregor beat as a rising star, Max Holloway, was in action in a thrilling showdown on Saturday.
The featherweight won an all-action bout with Yair Rodriguez by unanimous decision, with McGregor a prowling observer as he watched the contest on television.
In a typically baffling clip, McGregor filmed himself shirtlessly walking up and down in front of the live MMA coverage with clenched fists – even performing his own 'staredown' with Holloway into the camera.
"This is cringe," said one onlooker, amid speculation that multi-millionaire McGregor was in a budget motel room.
"He's legit pacing in front of a TV. It's like when zoo animals pace back and forth from stress or boredom. Doesn't exactly make me think someone is tough or intimidating."
Another referred to what will be a wait of at least two years for a McGregor victory in the octagon by joking: "Conor vs the TV: he might actually win this one. Maybe."
One critic asked: "Dude literally set up a camera to watch himself stare down a guy through a TV – how does he think he looks? Because it ain't good."
A fan rued: "Our bar is so low that pacing around a little TV with closed fists counts as a legitimate promo that is sure to be posted everywhere now."
McGregor has dismissed Holloway's claim to be the best boxer in the UFC, although he did admit that he "loved" the "kid".
Holloway trolled McGregor's now-defunct famous bygone claim that he was "undefeated" because he had never been knocked out, repeating the quote to highlight that the concept could be successfully applied to his own career.
UFC president Dana White shunned talk of a rematch between the pair after his promotion's latest event.
White pointed out: “Conor’s not even... Conor’s still hurt. To even talk about Conor is silly.”
The provocative Irishman beat Holloway by decision at UFC Fight Night in August 2013.
Former two-weight champion McGregor's rehab appears to be going well, and he has pictured himself looking strong in the gym in recent weeks.
The businessman spent much of Saturday sharing scenes from a pub in his latest attempts to endorse his lucrative whiskey brand.