Justin Gaethje knocked out Dustin Poirier with a brutal head kick at UFC 291, causing none other than the notorious Conor McGregor to chime in with a challenge for the winner.

“Justin, I’ll slap you around,” McGregor tweeted after the fight.

McGregor continued to call out other rivals, including Michael Chandler who he is supposed to fight at some point in the next year. He seemed to disregard that fight and request to take down Gaethje directly after watching his victory and looking to capitalize on the hype.

“I’m the real bmf, he can fight for pennies if he wants but I want spirits, I call the shots, I’m in it to launch shots, f*** chandler, you want it call for it,” McGregor said.

McGregor hasn’t fought since a 2021 loss to Poirier, his second straight loss. He defeated Poirier in 2014 before falling to him twice in 2021 in the second and third edition of the matchup. 

 There have been rumors of a comeback for McGregor that have not yet materialized, amid doping allegations with the USADA. He did not submit testing samples for the annual check in, rendering him ineligible for any fights this calendar year.

The new champion responded to McGregor’s call out in a post-match interview.

‘I think he's turned me down six times and usually, you have to lose to fight him,’ Gaethje said.

McGregor has also faced allegations outside of the ring, dating back to an NBA Finals appearance in Miami. He participated in a marketing stunt at halftime that landed the mascot in the hospital, and was later accused of sexual assault and misconduct by a female fan, but no charges have been filed.