GLASGOW – For MMA fighters, getting praise from Conor McGregor is a pretty rare phenomenon, but in Glasgow on Friday night the Irishman heaped praise on UFC featherweight champion Max Holloway.

Although he first announced that he “sonned” the Hawaiian when they fought back in 2014, the SBG fighter went on to praise how he reacted to the decision loss at the TD Garden, in what was only McGregor’s second outing with the UFC.

“I sonned that young boy,” McGregor told Caroline Pearce to the elation of the crowd.

However, directly following that statement, McGregor went on to praise how Holloway climbed the ranks after suffering defeat.

He also credited Dustin Poirier and Eddie Alvarez for their resurgence after suffering losses at his hands.

“I’m not mad at him,” McGregor said of Holloway.

“He’s done a great job. He’s climbed up and claimed that featherweight belt. You see some fights, and so do the public, you see him go in there and you watch him win or lose and you watch how they act and how they carry on.

“He lost to me and he took it on the chin, he kept his mind frame sharp. Same with Poirier, he’s another guy who kept his mind frame sharp and carried on. Alvarez as well, he took it well – you’ve got to take it on the f**king chin.

“You’re gonna win some, you’re gonna lose some. Get back on your bike, study the game a bit more, put in that extra bit of work and correct those errors that you’ve seen – carry on.

“That’s what I’m doing. That’s what I’ve seen (Holloway) doing. He went on to capture the unified belt off of Aldo, even though I beat both of them. Look, it’s a hard one for me that one.”

The outspoken Dubliner went on to say that he would be open to a fight at 155 against “Blessed”, but did admit that the option of fighting him was not as pertinent as others.

“If he wants to come up, then maybe. We’ll figure it out,” he said. “That’s another option, but it’s a low down the totem pole option.”