It's just over a year since Michael Conlan stood in the middle of the Rio ring, middle fingers pointing towards the judges who had robbed him of a spot in the Olympic semi-finals.
Shortly after, Conlan was interviewed by RTÉ, calling AIBA 'fucking cheats', as Vladimir Nikitin claimed bronze rather than the Belfast boxer.
In the days following that debacle, Conlan received some advice from Conor McGregor, the two well-established friends at that stage. Speaking on The MMA Hour with Ariel Helwani, Conlan disclosed what McGregor told him.
He reached out and said, 'Listen, fuck them'. Sorry, excuse my language, but he said what he said.
He said, 'Listen, this is what happens in sport. You know you won, everyone else who watched it knows you won. Keep your head up, you're going to be a world champion.'
He gave me some good advice and I took it. Coming from a guy like him, you can be nothing but thankful.
Conlan also explained how he and McGregor had become friends.
He reached out to me on Twitter after I won the World Championships 2015. Then I met him the following summer when he was rematching Nate Diaz. We kept in touch by social media.
I got him a sparring partner, Conor Walsh - the guy that replicated Nate [Diaz], a southpaw. He had the same style as Nate, I got them him. Then we just kept in touch and became friends.
Forward to 1:08 below to listen to Michael Conlan.
Picture credit: Sportsfile
