You know a major event is just around the corner when the official merchandise drops.
Such is the case for UFC 246, which features the much-anticipated return of former UFC lightweight and featherweight champion Conor McGregor, who meets Donald Cerrone in the welterweight main event at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas.
The UFC’s official online merchandise store for the event is live, and the designs are starting to make the rounds. And, well, at least in one case, we’re thinking perhaps a redo is in order.
Behold:
(Screen grab via UFC online store)
Now, perhaps it took you a minute to figure out who that’s supposed to be. On first glance, we thought it was a poorly done rendition of Jorge Masvidal or maybe Cerrone. Then we looked a little closer, saw the tattoos, and realized this is supposed to be “The Notorious” himself. Perhaps a middle-aged version of McGregor toward the end of a long night imbibing Proper Twelve solo at the end of a dive bar, but McGregor nonetheless.
But there’s more: This isn’t any old T-shirt. This is McGregor’s official walkout T-shirt. And it’s part of the UFC “Legacy Series,” which means the athlete had a hand in the design, or, at the very least, signed off on it. That being the case, perhaps someone on McGregor’s team also had a shot or two of Proper Twelve before giving the thumbs up.
Then there are other questions: Why is he wearing a watch? And sweatpants? And shoes? And not wearing gloves?
Perhaps these are meant to be a mystery. But trying to answer the “why’s” about this shirt is making us want to reach for the nearest available bottle of middling-at-best whiskey. Maybe that was the whole point all along.
The Blue Corner is MMA Junkie’s blog space. We don’t take it overly serious, and neither should you. If you come complaining to us that something you read here is not hard-hitting news, expect to have the previous sentence repeated in ALL CAPS.
Conor McGregor's official UFC 246 walkout shirt is … it's something
