Conor McGregor in the front row at Bellator to see pal Kiefer Crosbie beat Hugo Pereira in Dublin

CONOR MCGREGOR was back cageside tonight in Dublin – to watch pal Kiefer Crosbie claim a big victory at Bellator: Dublin. The Notorious, who was last inside the Octagon when he suffered defeat to Khabib Nurmagomedov in October 2018, received a thunderous welcome as fans wait for news on his comeback. And the 3Arena almost […]

CONOR MCGREGOR was back cageside tonight in Dublin – to watch pal Kiefer Crosbie claim a big victory at Bellator: Dublin.

The Notorious, who was last inside the Octagon when he suffered defeat to Khabib Nurmagomedov in October 2018, received a thunderous welcome as fans wait for news on his comeback.

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Conor McGregor was cageside to see his pal Kiefer Crosbie beat Hugo Pereira at Bellator 227 in Dublin[/caption]

And the 3Arena almost blew the roof the place around 20 minutes later as Crosbie claimed a unanimous win over Hugo Pereira (4-3).

The crowd were whipped into frenzy before either fighter had entered the arena thanks to the presence of Notorious.

The UFC superstar, who is believed to be targeting an Octagon return in December, looked to be in good spirits as he shook hands with a number of people cageside en-route to his front-row seat.

Then it was the turn of “Big Daddy K” – who went into the fight 6-1 – to ensure the noise levels remained high.

He received a booming reception as he climbed into the cage to battle the Portuguese star.

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Hometown hero Crosbie secured a hard-fought victory over Hugo Pereira[/caption]

And buoyed on by the presence of his team-mate McGregor, he looked to exert his dominance early.

However, Pereira held his own as he controlled the clinch against the cage in an even first round.

Decked out in glasses and a white suit, McGregor shouted encouragement in between rounds to his pal Crosbie.

And he nodded in approval while sipping a water as Crosbie kept up the pressure in the second and landed some big shots.

Pereira kept coming but surely it belonged to the hometown hero.

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McGregor poses with a fan at the 3Arena in Dublin[/caption]

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McGregor shouts instruction and encouragement to his pal during the clash[/caption]

 

In the third and suddenly Crosbie’s control was waning as he spent much of it on the canvas.

But he fought his way back on to his feet to finish the strongest and claim the win.

While exiting the building, McGregor told reporters Crosbie’s performance was “very good”.