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Conor McGregor scolded by referee at UFC Fight Night event

UFC lightweight champion Conor McGregor cheers on teammate Artem Lobov in his featherweight bout against Andre Fili during the UFC Fight Night event in Gdansk, Poland. (Jeff Bottari/Zuffa LLC/Getty Images)
UFC lightweight champion Conor McGregor cheers on teammate Artem Lobov in his featherweight bout against Andre Fili during the UFC Fight Night event in Gdansk, Poland. (Jeff Bottari/Zuffa LLC/Getty Images)

Conor McGregor managed to find himself in the middle of the action at UFC Fight Night 118 in Gdansk, Poland on Saturday.

The UFC lightweight champ was sitting cageside for a featherweight bout between Artem “The Russian Hammer” Lobov, his friend and teammate, and Andre “Touchy” Fili — and it didn’t take long for him to make his presence felt.

McGregor, who was not there in any official capacity, was pacing around the cage and yelling instructions at Lobov throughout the fight.

After a while, referee Marc Goddard had seen enough and gave McGregor an earful, telling him to “act professional” and return to his seat.

McGregor obliged, but that didn’t stop him from coaching his teammate until the final bell.

The champ’s words of encouragement weren’t enough to help the 31-year-old Lobov (13-14-1), who lost to Fili (17-5) via unanimous decision. After the fight, Lobov tweeted that he is contemplating retirement.

Fili, meanwhile, admitted that the Irishman’s presence and trash-talking got him “10 times more excited,” which was evident when he mocked McGregor’s “Billionaire Strut” before the fight began.

After making a statement with his victory in the Octagon, Fili used his post-fight platform to deliver another one in a heartfelt speech.